By the time they entered the rear hall, the old man was already standing there, hands clasped behind his back.
Upon seeing Han Li and the other dozen or so cultivators enter, his expression remained unchanged as he spoke: "I have just assessed all of you. You either possess decent talent or cultivate a special technique, so you will be the seed for our sect's resurgence. You are given half a day to go back and gather your belongings immediately. Senior Apprentice-Niece Huang will lead your departure right away."
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. One person even asked in alarm: "Ancestor, weren't the demonic cultivators still two days from breaking through the outer defenses? Why such haste?"
"Hmph! It will indeed take them two more days to break the front lines, but do you really think they'll let our remaining people slip away quietly? They've already dispatched separate units to bypass our defenses and strike directly at each branch. Their mission isn't to annihilate us, but to ensure we cannot retreat smoothly. Therefore, we must sacrifice those left outside to buy time for your escape. However, if any of you, during your preparations, dare leak this information to those outside and cause a chaotic rout, I will personally clean house." The old man in brocade robes spoke with an utterly cold and ruthless tone that sent a chill through the hearts of all present.
"Yes, Ancestor."
……
Han Li and the others naturally dared not object, responding respectfully before dispersing to gather their things.
On the way back, Han Li parted ways with the small old man midway, both of them deep in thought.
Han Li's cave dwelling was quite far, so after parting, he immediately piloted the Divine Wind Boat at full speed, hoping to reach his home as quickly as possible.
At this moment, Han Li's feelings were extremely complicated.
If he followed Ancestor Linghu's orders and evacuated to another country, his life would be secure, and he might even be valued by the higher-ups due to the shortage of manpower.
However, the same was true that afterward, in order to rebuild Yellow Maple Valley and establish a foothold in a new territory, he, as one of the few remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators, would undoubtedly be bogged down with trivial matters and a host of miscellaneous affairs. There would definitely not be much time left for continued cultivation!
He figured that by the time everything settled and the six sects were re-established, his opportunity to advance to the Core Formation stage would have long passed. This was something Han Li absolutely did not want to see.
But if he fled now, Han Li didn't know if he was still under the surveillance of that old monster's spiritual sense. Perhaps if he made even a slightly improper move, it would be detected. In that case, this deserter would certainly die without a proper burial!
A surge of regret filled Han Li's heart. If he had known things would deteriorate this badly, he should have fled to another country immediately instead of coming back!
Resignedly, Han Li returned to his cave dwelling.
Upon entering, he first took out all the storage pouches containing talismans from under his bedroom bed and tucked them into his robe. Then, he went to the storage room and collected the remaining rare medicinal herbs as well.
Finally, he went to the secret chamber housing the Spirit Eye Spring, destroyed the entire chamber, and concealed the spring itself.
Since he couldn't relocate this spiritual treasure at the moment, Han Li certainly didn't want it discovered and used by the demonic cultivators.
After completing everything, Han Li made another round of checks inside his dwelling, and feeling nothing was left behind, he summoned Qu Hun out of the cave. Together, they extracted the first set of formation flags and disks for the "Five Elements Inversion Grand Array" placed at the entrance, carefully storing them in a storage pouch.
Seeing the cave entrance revealed again after the array vanished, Han Li raised his eyebrows and suddenly unleashed two beams of black light. It took about the time it takes to eat a simple meal for him to completely demolish the small mountain peak, burying the cave entrance entirely under the collapsed rock.
Then, he released the Divine Wind Boat, took Qu Hun for a circling flight in the air, and departed.
When Han Li returned to the main council hall, most of the others had already gathered. He left Qu Hun outside the hall and entered alone.
But what surprised Han Li was that besides their dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators, several hundred Qi Condensation stage disciples were also inside the hall.
"Are these people evacuating together as well?" Han Li wondered with some confusion.
His eyes lit up as he suddenly spotted the small old man standing together with Xiao Cuier, the two speaking in low voices, their expressions extremely solemn.
Upon seeing this scene, Han Li walked over without hesitation.
"Junior Uncle Han!" Xiao Cuier greeted Han Li respectfully when she saw him approaching.
Han Li smiled and nodded, then turned to the small old man and asked: "What's going on? Are these Qi Condensation disciples leaving with us?"
To avoid attracting others' attention, Han Li kept his voice low.