The three men walked slowly to the center of the great hall and stopped, standing shoulder to shoulder.
The black-robed giant in the middle, whose features were somewhat savage, spoke in a cold voice: "As for who we three are, I trust there's no need for introductions. Even if some among you didn't recognize us before, you should know us now. This gathering is presided over by the three of us—does anyone have objections?"
The black-robed giant's voice was extraordinarily icy, and the moment those words left his mouth, a tremendous aura erupted from his body, followed by a colossal spiritual pressure that descended upon the entire hall. Upon sensing those unfathomable fluctuations of spiritual energy, the cultivators present couldn't help but let their expressions shift.
But even as Han Li was alarmed by this person's formidable Magical Power, he felt a wave of surprise.
Judging by the yin-cold demonic energy that enveloped the man, he had to be the Hehuan Old Demon from the demonic path. But the old demon looked nothing like what Han Li had imagined. He was supposedly the Grand Elder of the Hehuan Sect, yet his technique looked far more like the demonic arts of the Ghost Spirit Gate!
Han Li didn't know that every Grand Elder of the Hehuan Sect throughout the generations had been called the Hehuan Old Demon. Although the technique the black-robed man cultivated was in fact a demonic art with little connection to the Hehuan Sect, he still had to bear the title.
At this point, the others, having felt the terrifying might of this man, though inwardly uncomfortable, were not foolish enough to step forward and challenge the authority of the three great cultivators.
For a moment, the entire hall fell deathly silent—an implicit acquiescence to the Hehuan Old Demon's words.
"Good. Since there are no objections, I'll skip the pleasantries. In truth, there's no time for them anyway. Just this morning, the Mulan people sent an envoy with a challenge. They declared that if we refuse their terms, they will fight us to the death at the border in seven days." The black-robed giant spoke without a trace of emotion on his face.
"A challenge?"
"Seven days?"
"What terms?"
The cultivators buzzed with agitation.
"Brother Yi's words just now were no lie—this is indeed the enemy's letter of challenge. Please examine it, fellow Daoists, and then we'll discuss our countermeasures. Although the great battle has come sooner than we anticipated, with the powers possessed by everyone gathered here, surely we need not fear the Mulan people?" The Daoist with the sword strapped to his back chuckled lightly, his manner unhurried and composed.
Though his voice was not loud, once it reached the ears of everyone present, it was like a cool breeze brushing their faces, instantly dispelling the chill in their hearts and calming their minds.
The cultivators were startled, and the commotion immediately subsided. But someone muttered under their breath: "The Calming Heart Art of the Taizhen Sect—it really does have some merit."
Hearing this somewhat disgruntled remark, the middle-aged Daoist seemed not to notice. Instead, he produced from his sleeve a jade slip that seemed to drip with fresh crimson, and casually tossed it to a gray-robed elder across from him, saying with a smile: "This is the Mulan people's letter of challenge. Please take a look first, fellow Daoist."
The elder started slightly, then silently cradled the jade slip in both hands, scanning its contents with his spiritual sense. His expression darkened in an instant, and with a cold face he threw the jade slip directly to the person beside him.
That person caught the jade slip and examined it with equal curiosity, his face similarly turning grim.
As the cultivators passed the challenge letter among themselves one by one, Han Li studied the Daoist and the old man in the green robe.
The Daoist appeared to be in his forties, with crystalline fair skin and refined, scholarly features that inspired immediate goodwill. He was most likely Supreme Zhiyang of the Taizhen Sect from the Righteous Alliance.
As for the old man in green, he looked utterly ordinary in appearance—nothing about his clothing, looks, or bearing stood out in the slightest. The only thing that caught Han Li's attention was the long fingernails on all ten of the old man's fingers. They appeared extraordinarily sharp, colored a deep purple-black, and glinted with a faint luster—quite conspicuous.
This man could only be Wei Wuya, the Grand Elder of the Nine Nations Alliance.
Wei Wuya seemed to sense Han Li's gaze and turned his head to look. When their eyes met, a hint of surprise crossed his face, and he actually smiled at Han Li.
Han Li returned the smile with some embarrassment, but inwardly wondered—if this man knew about his relationship with Nan Gongwan, whether he could still bring himself to smile at him.
While Han Li was lost in thought, Long Han, at his side, had finished reading the jade slip that had been passed to him. With a grim expression, he tossed it to Han Li.
Seeing how grim the previous readers' expressions had been, Han Li grew curious.