With his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, Han Li could activate the talisman treasure far faster than when he was at the Qi Refinement stage.
After a moment, the azure talisman in his hand emitted a clear hum and transformed into an azure jade ruler, several inches in size, delicate and exquisite, with a flowing fluorescent light.
At that moment, the spiritual power of the Four Friends of Mengshan had also reached its limit. Under the fierce grab of the demon-transformed big man, the White Phosphorus Shield flew backward as if struck by a heavy hammer. The four of them immediately slumped, their faces turning extremely pale.
"Senior, hurry!"
The black-faced elder had already caught sight of the talisman treasure phenomenon on Han Li's side and couldn't help but urge anxiously.
Han Li had no time to bother with the old man. After seeing the demon-transformed big man repelled by the light beam, he immediately poured all his spiritual power into the jade ruler.
In an instant, the floating small ruler in his hand emitted a dazzling azure glow. In the blink of an eye, it split from one into two, from two into four, from four into eight... and then into hundreds of identical small rulers, each emitting a buzzing hum as they surrounded Han Li, trembling nonstop.
This astonishing scene left the Four Friends of Mengshan gaping, thinking they had fallen into an illusion, hardly daring to believe their eyes.
Han Li did not delay in the slightest. With a solemn expression, he pointed at the demon-transformed big man, and immediately, the dense mass of small rulers surged forward like a flood bursting through a dam.
Although the bald big man seemed somewhat confused after his demon transformation, facing Han Li's talisman treasure attack, he seemed to sense danger. A look of fear appeared on his face, and suddenly a red light flashed as he shot backward like a meteor, his speed no slower than the Divine Wind Boat.
Seeing this, Han Li was taken aback. After a moment's hesitation, the opponent had already fled over a hundred zhang, and only his retreating figure could be seen from afar.
Sighing, Han Li did not give chase. Instead, with a wave of his hand, he recalled the jade ruler talisman treasure, which reformed into the azure talisman and drifted back into his hand.
It wasn't that he didn't want to eliminate future troubles and complete his task perfectly, but the talisman treasure's remaining power was truly limited. If he were to chase and tangle with the opponent for a long time, Han Li wasn't sure if he could sustain it. Since he had already obtained a living captive, it was better to be prudent.
The Four Friends of Mengshan, seeing their formidable enemy driven off by Han Li, felt relieved and helped each other to stand up.
Seeing how terrible their complexions looked, Han Li thought for a moment, then took out a small medicine bottle from his storage pouch and tossed it to them.
"Take one pill each. It will be very beneficial for your injuries." Han Li said with a slight smile.
Regardless, these people had been helpful in today's battle, so he naturally needed to show some appreciation. This way, they would know he was not a stingy person.
As expected, the Four Friends of Mengshan showed grateful expressions. The black-faced elder respectfully took the small bottle, gently poured it, and four dragon-eye-sized pills appeared in his palm. They were fiery red in color, with a rich medicinal fragrance. Just smelling them invigorated one's spirits.
The elder was an experienced man. He immediately recognized with surprise how precious this medicine was. After thanking Han Li repeatedly, he and the others took the pills.
As soon as the pills entered their stomachs, they dissolved into a warm current that spread throughout their bodies. The four of them immediately felt their injuries significantly alleviate, and their hearts were filled with joy.
"Let's go. This is not a place to linger. If the Black Fiend Cult sends reinforcements, we'll be in trouble." Han Li glanced at the captured young prince and Manager Wang, and said in a deep voice.
The Four Friends of Mengshan naturally had no objections, so they threw the two captives into the Divine Wind Boat, and Han Li led them away at full speed.
The sky above the ruined temple returned to tranquility once more, with no one able to tell that a fierce battle between cultivators had taken place here.
...
Han Li and the others returned to the Qin residence without incident, descending from the sky directly to their lodgings.
To avoid any complications from delay, Han Li rested briefly before beginning his interrogation of the young prince and Manager Wang that very night.
Han Li only intended to question the young prince himself, leaving Manager Wang to be handled by the Four Friends of Mengshan. He believed the black-faced elder's shrewdness would provide him with a satisfactory answer.
Making a cultivator tell the truth might be troublesome for others, but for Han Li, who knew a bit of mesmerizing arts and was well-versed in the ways of medicine, it was no problem at all. Especially when the other party's cultivation was far inferior to his own.
Although the young prince initially adopted a posture of absolutely refusing to speak, after Han Li merely asked his questions once and saw the other party's refusal to cooperate, he unceremoniously force-fed him a bottle of potion. The result left the prince dazed, his mind sinking into a trance.
Han Li then used an ordinary mesmerizing technique, the "Phantom Eye," and successfully took control of the prince's mind. After that, the young prince obediently answered everything like a puppet.
Listening to the young prince's account, Han Li's expression shifted continuously—from the initial solemn coldness, to surprise and astonishment in the middle, and finally to a face full of confusion and frustration.
After confirming that the secrets hidden in the young prince's heart had all been revealed, Han Li pondered for a moment, then took out a prepared black pill from his pocket and stuffed it expressionlessly into the prince's mouth. Without another glance, he walked out of the room and headed toward the Qingyin Courtyard where the Four Friends of Mengshan were staying.
This "Soul-Severing Pill" would cause the prince to die silently and painlessly.
Although poisoning a defenseless person made Han Li feel somewhat uncomfortable, considering that the young prince had practiced demonic arts and used over a dozen cultivators for blood sacrifice, his death was not unjust.
When Han Li arrived at the Qingyin Courtyard, the Four Friends of Mengshan were gathered together with grave expressions, discussing the confessions they had obtained. Seeing Han Li approach, they all stood up and ushered him to the seat of honor.
Han Li sat down without declining and asked:
"How did it go? What did this Manager Wang have to say?"
The Four Friends of Mengshan exchanged glances. It was the black-faced elder, the eldest among them, who stood up to reply:
"Senior may already know this, but if what our side's captive said is true, the matter is somewhat complicated."
Having said this, the elder stole a glance at Han Li, but Han Li's expression remained unchanged, showing no reaction.
The elder had no choice but to weigh his words carefully and continue with a stiff upper lip:
"From Manager Wang, I learned a great deal of information related to the Black Fiend Cult, but most of it is trivial. However, one matter is of utmost importance and extremely troublesome. The leader of the Black Fiend Cult is actually hiding within the Imperial Palace, and the current mortal emperor of the Kingdom of Yue has long been manipulated by him, becoming nothing more than his puppet. The Imperial Palace is now the Black Fiend Cult's lair. And the chief eunuch of the Imperial Palace, a man named Li Poyun, is the leader of the Black Fiend Cult. It is said that he is currently in seclusion for cultivation."
As the black-faced elder spoke, he furrowed his brow, finding the situation truly difficult to handle. After all, no matter how much cultivators might look down on mortals, they still felt some apprehension toward the supreme ruler of the mortal world.
Hearing this, Han Li's face showed no change in expression, but inwardly he sighed repeatedly!
It wasn't that he feared the emperor, but rather because he knew that the current royal family of the Kingdom of Yue was actually jointly supported by the seven sects.
But precisely because of this, there was an unwritten rule among the sects: disciples of the seven sects were strictly forbidden to set foot within the Imperial Palace, lest any one sect use its influence to control the royal family and thereby disadvantage the others.
For this reason, for several hundred years, not even a shadow of a seven-sect disciple had appeared within the Imperial Palace of the Kingdom of Yue. As long as the emperor of the Kingdom of Yue did not commit any major offense against the seven sects, the sects left him completely to his own devices. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that the Black Fiend Cult had found an opportunity.
After learning the truth from the young prince, Han Li had already pondered these matters repeatedly multiple times, but still couldn't make up his mind on what to do!
This rule had been in place for so long. Even if he truly exposed the true identity of the Black Fiend Cult's leader, whether breaching the Imperial Palace could be considered atoning for his crime was uncertain. Perhaps instead of merit, he would only receive severe punishment!
Such things, where right and wrong were indiscriminate and infuriatingly unfair, were not unheard of in a venerable sect like the Seven Great Sects.
Sometimes, the authority of certain rules far outweighed the correctness of the matter itself, and they could not be violated in the slightest. This made Han Li extremely wary!
He did not want to be someone who did the work but received no credit.
However, having learned the true identity of the Black Fiend Cult's master so easily was far beyond Han Li's expectations!
But this was also a matter of chance coincidence. It should be known that from the young prince's words, even several Foundation Establishment altar masters of the Black Fiend Cult had never seen the leader's face, nor did they know anything of his background.
And the two of them, being among the few who knew the Black Fiend Cult leader's identity, were so only because Manager Wang and the young prince had an extraordinary relationship with the Black Fiend Cult's leader.
One was the leader's older cousin who had once saved his life. The other was his only registered disciple, deeply trusted. With such intimate connections, they were able to learn his true identity.
Otherwise, in a capital city as large as the Kingdom of Yue's, how would it be their turn—two Qi Refinement stage cultivators—to preside over the cult's affairs there?