"Younger sister never married. The family that had arranged a marriage alliance with our Chen clan suddenly defected to the demonic path. Our Chen clan naturally could not send Qiaoqian to marry into such a household. After that, seventh sister became quiet and withdrawn, treating all men with cold indifference, and she remained alone until the very end." Chen Qiaotian hesitated briefly before recounting what had happened to Chen Qiaoqian in those years to the formidable figure before him.
Looking at Han Li's youthful face now, a certain rumor that had circulated within the sect finally surfaced in his mind, and his expression grew peculiar.
"She never married?" A flicker of something unusual passed through Han Li's eyes. He then gazed up at the sky without saying a word.
After a long pause, he lowered his head and spoke to Chen Qiaotian in an even tone: "As for who I am—from your expression, I imagine you've already guessed something of the matter. I won't say more. Both the righteous and demonic factions have gathered here. Since you've come seeking treasures in Demonfall Valley, you'd best look after yourselves." With that, Han Li paid them no further attention. Spiritual light erupted around his body, and he transformed into a streak of emerald radiance that pierced through the sky and vanished.
The three—Chen Qiaotian, the scholar, and their companions—hadn't even managed to utter a proper farewell before Han Li had disappeared without a trace.
The three men and women left behind stood frozen in place, somewhat dazed.
"Brother, who exactly is that senior? Could he have some connection to your Chen clan?" The moment the female cultivator recovered her wits, she couldn't help but ask.
"Connection? Our Chen clan could never presume to have any relationship with someone like him. If I'm not mistaken, you should all know this senior's name very well. He once came from our Yellow Maple Valley. He escaped unscathed from the hands of a Mulan Dharma Master, shattered the Mulan Sacred Beast during the border war, and later slew a demonic cultivator Elder from the State of Jin. Surely Bladefall Dock is no stranger to those deeds. But from what he said just now, it seems he may have had some connection to my seventh sister, who passed away many years ago. That is rather puzzling." Chen Qiaotian gazed in the direction Han Li had departed, his brow furrowed with confusion.
"What? That man is the one from the rumors? He really does look remarkably young. I've heard that in terms of seniority, he was once a fellow sect member of the Six Sects alongside us. That he now possesses such extraordinary power—it's truly unbelievable." The female cultivator seemed quite familiar with the stories about Han Li, and after a moment of shock, she blurted out in astonishment.
"That's right. When he first entered our Yellow Maple Valley, I had just completed Foundation Establishment. Later, he joined Big Brother, seventh sister, and the others in the Blood Trial, and from that point on, there was no stopping his rise. But now to think he's become second only to the three great cultivators of Tiannan—it's truly hard to imagine." Chen Qiaotian let out a sigh.
"I've heard that your valley's Granduncle Linghu once tried to persuade him to return to Yellow Maple Valley, but it seems he had no desire to come back. Is that true?" The other male cultivator, clad in blue robes, asked out of curiosity.
"I'm not entirely certain. There may have been something like that." Chen Qiaotian hesitated before giving a vague response.
It seemed that even facing his two sworn siblings, he was reluctant to say much about the matter.
Fortunately, neither of the two cultivators pressed further.
The blue-robed man then shifted the topic: "This time, we can count ourselves fortunate. First, Big Brother had just finished forging the Golden Book and Silver Brush treasure, which blocked most of the poisonous powder from those moths. Second, Senior Han intervened and disrupted the fight. In the end, we made it through the ordeal safely. Once Big Brother fully refines and masters the Golden Book, we won't need to fear those Cloud brothers anymore."
"Exactly. I knew the Chen clan had ancestral artifacts in the form of the Golden Book and Silver Brush, but I never expected there to be an actual method for forging them as true treasures. The one Big Brother used before was just a flying sword." The female cultivator sounded quite interested.
"The Golden Book and Silver Brush that Chen clan disciples use are merely imitation versions of this set of treasures. I had wanted to forge the real set from the start, but I could never gather all the necessary materials. So I could only make do with crafting a flying sword instead. Fortunately, after all these years of accumulating resources, I've finally managed to forge them. I hope they'll prove useful in Demonfall Valley." Chen Qiaotian smiled and offered a brief explanation. Then his expression turned serious, and he continued: "All right. No matter what, we need to be more careful from now on. Just as Senior Han said—any cultivator bold enough to covet the treasures of Demonfall Valley is no ordinary figure. The three of us would do well to tread carefully. Ideally, we should find the other junior and senior brothers from the Six Sects and travel together."
"Big Brother speaks wisely."
"Agreed. We'll do as you say."
The pair of male and female cultivators nodded repeatedly.
The three did not linger any longer. They immediately transformed into streaks of light and soared off into the distance.
……
Far away, Han Li's emotions churned for a time before he finally managed to press down the grief he felt for Chen Qiaoqian, burying it deep in the recesses of his heart.
Then, mustering his resolve, he continued onward.
Several hours later, the Myriad Spirit Mountain Range came into faint view on the horizon.
Since he was still on the outskirts of the range, the miasma clinging to the mountain slopes was exceedingly thin. Lush green trees and towering ridges were all faintly visible.
The mountains could not be called magnificent or imposing, but the single word "vast" would more than suffice to describe them.
Within the reach of his vision, a dark line stretched away on either side, extending beyond the limits of sight.
Han Li slowed his escape light and glanced around. The area was quiet, with no trace of other cultivators.
Showing no alarm, Han Li flew a bit closer and then slowly closed his eyes.
Immediately, a powerful spiritual sense—rivaling that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator—blanketed an area of a hundred li and began sweeping through it in a rapid search.
After a moment, Han Li's brow twitched, and his eyes snapped open.
With an expressionless face, he urged his escape light forward. The emerald streak slanted across the sky, hurtling toward a target he had locked onto.