"My little sister?" Han Li's eyes flickered uncertainly as he stared at the young woman before him. Her appearance and words had suddenly dredged up something he had buried deep in his heart for many years.
"Fourth Brother, how could I be here! Didn't I die of a terrible illness years ago? I'm so frightened!" The white figure shuddered gently as she rose to her feet, her face deathly pale as she edged closer to Han Li, the very image of a terrified little bird clinging to someone for comfort.
A trace of something odd surfaced in Han Li's eyes.
Just as the young woman—who bore an uncanny resemblance to his little sister—was about to take two more steps and throw herself into his arms…
A cold gleam flashed through Han Li's gaze. He raised his hand, and a small green sword shot silently from his palm, piercing clean through the young woman's forehead in the blink of an eye before vanishing.
The white figure let out a shriek, then dissolved into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared without a trace.
"Even if you can take on my little sister's exact appearance—my sister and I were separated when we were children. Never mind what I look like now; she'd have long since forgotten what I looked like back then, too. How could she possibly recognize me as her fourth brother at a single glance?" Han Li gazed toward the spot where the black smoke had vanished, a lonely, melancholy look crossing his face as he murmured to himself.
He raised his wrist and glanced at the four Bodhi Beads resting there.
Though his words had sounded so confident, if the Bodhi Beads hadn't suddenly gone scalding hot when the white figure drew close—extinguishing that last sliver of hesitation in his heart—he might not have struck so decisively. Even in the instant his flying sword pierced through her, Han Li's heart had still trembled involuntarily.
After all, even knowing that it was nothing more than an illusion or some ghostly transformation, he had still wanted to linger on those features of his little sister just a moment longer.
Carrying a nameless sorrow with him, Han Li pressed on alone through the darkness.
…
One day later, before a towering structure as tall as a pagoda, more than a dozen figures sat motionless on the ground.
The pagoda soared into the clouds, colossal beyond measure, built entirely from massive blocks of green stone.
From a distance, it appeared to be divided into five tiers, each narrower than the one below, yet the gap between each level was at least a hundred zhang—an astonishing distance. The green stone gate at the very base alone stood fifty to sixty zhang high. The sight was nothing short of magnificent.
The entire pagoda was enveloped in a faint, pale-white barrier of light. And before it, the cultivators—who looked no larger than ants beneath its looming bulk—sat with heads bowed and eyes closed in meditation. In the midst of their circle, a white teleportation array lay quietly on the ground.
Among them were Ji Yin, Wan Tianming, and the other Nascent Soul cultivators from both the righteous and demonic factions. Also present were Wu Chou, Xuan Gu, and another late-stage Core Formation cultivator. The only ones still absent were Han Li, Yuan Yao, the two Star Palace elders, and one more late-stage Core Formation cultivator.
Old Freak Ji Yin's expression was calm, showing no sign of impatience—but inwardly he was growing a touch anxious. After all, at an ordinary cultivator's pace through the trials, Han Li should have appeared here long ago, just as Wu Chou had.
His heart began to churn with unease.
At that very moment, a flash of white light blazed within the array, and a figure materialized.
Bearded Man, Ji Yin, and the others all opened their eyes at once—only for disappointment to flicker across their faces. The one who had arrived was Yuan Yao, the woman in the black robes and face veil.
Being stared at by so many Nascent Soul old monsters simultaneously made her heart skip a beat, but she quickly composed herself and walked out of the array in silence.
As it happened, no sooner had she stepped down than the teleportation array flashed once more, and Han Li's figure appeared out of thin air.
Ji Yin's eyebrow twitched, and a faint, barely perceptible smile crossed his face. Bearded Man and the robed elder exchanged a knowing glance, each reading relief in the other's eyes.
The moment Han Li appeared, he spotted Yuan Yao standing before him and was momentarily stunned. After giving her a faint smile, he walked over to Patriarch Ji Yin, offered a slight bow, and took his place behind him.
Patriarch Ji Yin seemed quite pleased by Han Li's display of "respect for one's master," turning to give him a nod before saying nothing more.
True to form, he did not bring up the matter of having the Bodhi Bead bracelet returned.
Nor was he alone in that silence—Bearded Man likewise made no move to reclaim the treasure armor at this time. It seemed that, for the moment, all of them had collectively chosen to forget the precious items they had lent to Han Li.
Han Li had now arrived, yet these cultivators remained seated where they were with no intention of moving, as though they were still waiting for something.