Feng Sanniang heard these words, and a faint bitter smile crossed her face. She tucked the bangs from her forehead and spoke slowly.
"Fellow Daoists! It is not that I am unwilling to tell you the truth. We had orders not to leak the information before reaching this island. But now that we've arrived, that restriction no longer applies. I will tell you everything honestly. This time, what our Six Linked Halls wishes to deal with is an 'Yingli Beast,' which is why we had to proceed with such caution!"
"An Yingli Beast!" Qing Suanzi and several others exclaimed, their expressions changing drastically.
Han Li watched all of this with cold eyes. Although he didn't know exactly what kind of demonic beast the "Yingli Beast" was, seeing them so shaken, he could tell this creature was far from ordinary.
"No wonder your hall was being so cautious. If it's this kind of beast, extra care is certainly warranted! If other factions got wind of this, there's no telling how big of a commotion it would cause!" Qing Suanzi began muttering to himself, unable to believe it. Hearing this, Han Li felt a stir in his heart.
The young man surnamed Yan and the bald man had shifting expressions, looking thoroughly troubled and conflicted.
Only the middle-aged scholar looked extremely displeased. He spoke coldly to Feng Sanniang: "Your Six Linked Halls has gone too far! Everyone knows the Yingli Beast is a naturally water-attribute spirit beast with incredible water-type powers. If it's a sixth-level one, it's absolutely not far off from an ordinary seventh-level demonic beast in the sea. And you still brought us here under the pretense that it was a sixth-level beast? Are you deliberately trying to deceive us?"
As the middle-aged scholar spoke, anger surfaced on his face, as though he had been thoroughly swindled.
Meanwhile, Qing Suanzi and the others had finally recovered their composure, but they too wore expressions of displeasure.
However, as lone rogue cultivators, none of them dared to offend the Six Linked Halls lightly, so they silently watched to see how Feng Sanniang would respond.
"Fellow Daoist Mao, that's not quite fair! Where exactly did our Six Linked Halls deceive anyone? True, the Yingli Beast is a bit formidable, but it is a genuine sixth-level demonic beast. You can't very well demand that we call a sixth-level beast seventh-level!"
"Besides, when you knew our hall was willing to offer a Dust-Settling Pill as such a valuable reward, you should have realized we weren't going after an ordinary sixth-level beast. Otherwise, how could our hall afford to make such a losing deal?" Feng Sanniang's expression darkened as she retorted without any politeness.
This left the middle-aged scholar momentarily speechless, unable to utter a word for a good while.
Han Li furrowed his brow slightly.
At first glance, what this woman said seemed reasonable, but Han Li felt deeply uncomfortable. He couldn't help but glance at the others.
The other three clearly felt the same way as Han Li, their faces showing similar dissatisfaction.
But just then, Feng Sanniang suddenly turned to Qu Hun and the others with a bright smile: "Of course, our hall's main reason for all this secrecy was to keep the Yingli Beast under wraps. So before coming here, I had already obtained a promise from above. After this mission succeeds, in addition to the agreed-upon Dust-Settling Pill for each of you, our hall will also offer an additional one thousand spirit stones per person as compensation for keeping this secret beforehand. I trust you find this satisfactory?"
Hearing the woman say this, Qing Suanzi and the others gradually had their grievances fade. Their expressions softened, and they all nodded in agreement.
The middle-aged scholar still seemed somewhat displeased, but his beautiful young cultivation companion whispered a few words in his ear, causing his expression to shift slightly before he fell silent.
Afterward, everyone dispersed across the small island, each finding a quiet spot to meditate and rest.
Han Li and Qu Hun found a massive boulder by the sea and sat cross-legged facing each other.
Under Han Li's deliberate instructions, Qu Hun quickly entered a state of rest and recuperation.
Han Li himself slowly closed his eyes, trying to enter a meditative trance.
But after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Han Li furrowed his brow and opened his eyes, staring somewhat vacantly at the surging waves.
For some reason, he felt a sense of unease at this moment, as though something momentous was about to happen, leaving him feeling anxious and restless in a way he couldn't quite control.
After mulling it over for a while without finding any explanation, Han Li laughed at himself.
It seemed he was being a bit paranoid after all. His spiritual instincts had always served him well, but tomorrow, with two Core Formation cultivators and that "Six Escape Water Wave Grand Formation" assisting, how could they possibly fail to bring down a sixth-level demonic beast?
Even though this beast seemed rather extraordinary. But a demonic beast was still a demonic beast — no matter how powerful, it couldn't possibly stand a chance against cultivators.
Having reassured himself, Han Li tried to force himself into a state of Qi refinement meditation.
But after a while, his heart still felt heavy, and he simply couldn't get into the right state.
"Sigh!" Han Li let out a breath and stood up.