Even so, sacrificing other cultivators to protect Spirit Beast Mountain, not to mention the death of a Core Formation stage cultivator in an attack he himself orchestrated, was truly unjustifiable!" Han Li frowned and spoke slowly, unwilling to easily believe it.
"Without the death of a Core Formation stage cultivator, how could the other six sects have believed it so readily? Besides, did you really think those who died were Core Formation stage cultivators?" Qu Hun sneered as he spoke.
"From what you're saying..." Han Li looked at Qu Hun with some surprise.
"As far as I know, there are two or three secret techniques among our Six Demonic Sects that can forcibly elevate a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator to roughly Core Formation stage cultivation. Of course, these methods each have major flaws. Essentially, any cultivator who uses them will inevitably die with meridians completely shattered, and the duration of the enhanced cultivation is pitifully short. However, this brief time should be enough to deceive the other six sects. After all, an attack doesn't require a long performance."
Hearing this, Han Li fell silent. He was now thirty percent convinced.
One could imagine that when the Seven Sects and the allied forces of the other two kingdoms deployed their grand formations to face off against the Six Demonic Sects, the Demonic Side, having already penetrated all their arrangements, would use Spirit Beast Mountain's betrayal to easily tear apart the Seven Sects' formations. Without the protection of the grand formations, the allied forces of the Seven Sects would be no match for the Six Demonic Sects.
"Even if what you say is true, the decisive battle hasn't arrived yet. If I go to report the news, we should be able to turn defeat into victory. Why should I flee?" Han Li pondered for a moment before asking reluctantly.
"Do you really think our Demonic Side would initiate the decisive battle according to the agreed-upon time? You must understand that the original plan already included such a strategy of confusing the opponent and catching them off guard with a timing difference. Although I don't know the exact time, I estimate that within a few days, our Demonic Side will suddenly attack your main camp. After all, you are at your most complacent stage before the great battle, and your forces are still far from fully assembled. Do you think the remaining time is enough to deliver the message to the battlefield and make those leaders believe your words?" This person's lips curled, clearly showing schadenfreude.
Hearing this, Han Li's expression finally changed slightly. A trace of worry entered his heart.
If the Seven Sects truly suffered a major defeat, his life would indeed be difficult. Either he would remain in the Kingdom of Yue being hunted by the Demonic Side, or he would have to flee to another country and wander everywhere. The only other option would be to repair the teleportation array and start a new cultivation career in a strange place.
"You seem to have intimate knowledge of the Demonic Side's plans. It appears your status is indeed quite high. Don't worry, I have no intention of asking about your specific identity. I just want to ask one more thing: after saying all this, do you have any evidence? Don't think that I would fully believe your words based solely on your mouth!" Han Li thought for a moment before asking solemnly.
Hearing Han Li's question, this Spirit Taming Sect cultivator was stunned. Then he smiled bitterly.
"I lost even my original body at the critical moment. Do you think I could have preserved any evidence? Actually, if you have some patience, just wait a few more days, and you should be able to hear some rumors of the great battle." He spoke as if it were the truth.
Hearing this, Han Li sneered.
"If your body is gone, how could your Nascent Soul have escaped? Since you weren't killed on the spot back then, I don't believe you didn't store your magical artifacts and other important items elsewhere." Han Li spoke coldly, but his words hit the mark, freezing Qu Hun's bitter smile.
"Heh heh! It seems I really can't hide it from you. Yes, I do have a jade slip containing correspondence between our sect and Spirit Beast Mountain. Actually, I came to the Kingdom of Yue years ago specifically to transport this message back, but unexpectedly..." After being exposed by Han Li, he showed a trace of embarrassment.
Hearing the other party finally admit it, Han Li sighed inwardly. He didn't know this person's real age, but he was truly cunning and slippery. It seemed he needed to be even more cautious.
"Where is the item?"
Next, Han Li asked unceremoniously, while his gaze began to sweep over various parts of the other's body.
"The storage bag containing the jade slip isn't on my person. I left it in a cave nearby. I can take you to get it?" Now Qu Hun was being very cooperative.
"Not on your person?" Han Li's eyes flickered, showing disbelief.
"You know, my current body is actually a zombie body. Although it's far more solid than an ordinary person's, it has also lost most of its sensations. I'm truly afraid of carrying the storage bag on me, lest I accidentally lose it without even knowing. So generally, I leave the storage bag..." This person forced out an excuse that sounded somewhat awkward to Han Li.
But Han Li said nothing. Instead, he carefully searched the other's body and, after finding nothing at all, asked coldly:
"Where is the cave? I'll go get the item myself!"
Seeing Han Li so cautious and careful, Qu Hun could only tell him the location with a depressed expression.
Han Li nodded after hearing this, seeming ready to leave. But suddenly he remembered something and turned back to ask one more question.
"How did you enter this body? Although this body originally had no soul or Nascent Soul, saving you the trouble of body seizure, it's still not a cultivator's body after all!"
Han Li was genuinely curious.
"I don't know!"
The other party's answer made Han Li's face darken. But before he could say anything more, the other party quickly explained:
"I really don't know what happened. When I dragged my seriously injured body to Jiayuan City, I was completely finished. In desperation, I had to project my Nascent Soul and then search everywhere for a cultivator to seize. But after searching the entire nearby area, I didn't encounter a single cultivator. Just when I was in despair, I discovered this zombie body without a Nascent Soul. I was just trying my luck, giving it a go. But unexpectedly, it turned out to be perfectly safe, which surprised even me."
As he said this, this Spirit Taming Sect cultivator also had a look of disbelief on his face.
Hearing this, Han Li fell silent. After glancing at the other party, he suddenly walked back to Qu Hun's side and affixed two more Mind-Stabilizing Talismans to his body. Then he vanished into the darkness.
Qu Hun, standing in place, initially had a bitter look on his face. But soon after Han Li left, his eyes revealed a trace of eerie light.
...
Following the location the other party had mentioned, Han Li accurately found that cave. The entrance didn't seem very large.
Han Li raised his hand, and a moonlight stone flew out from his storage bag, hovering above his head and illuminating the surroundings.
Then, he glanced at the dark cave entrance, thought for a moment, and released the White Phosphorus Shield and tortoise shell artifact to block in front of him before carefully walking into the cave.
The cave was indeed not very spacious as Han Li had expected. After walking only seven or eight zhang, he faintly saw a rock wall blocking the path ahead, indicating he had reached the bottom.
Han Li's sharp eyes scanned around without detecting anything unusual. Then he looked down at the ground.
Because according to what the other party had said, the storage bag was pressed under a large bluestone and should be easy to find.
Sure enough, about two zhang to one side, there was a dark object several feet high, resembling a stone.
Han Li didn't think much and walked over a few steps, using the soft white light of the moonlight stone to look carefully.
"Hah!" Han Li gasped.
This was no stone at all—it was clearly a large pile of white bones stacked high, with some blurry remnants of flesh and blood still clinging to them, giving off a faint scent of blood.
With some shock, Han Li focused and realized the bones were from fierce beasts like tigers and leopards. There were still bite marks on them, as if something had been chewing on them.
Seeing this, Han Li's mind raced and he sensed danger. He hurriedly wanted to retreat outside.
But it was already too late. A black shadow flashed from somewhere and slammed hard into Han Li's White Phosphorus Shield.
Instantly, an extremely powerful force hit him. Han Li was sent flying backward along with his shield, crashing hard against the rear cave wall. The impact nearly made him black out from pain.
"What monster is this?" In his intense pain, Han Li thought with both shock and anger.
But before Han Li could even fall from the cave wall, the black shadow leaped up and charged at him again.
Han Li turned pale with fright. Without thinking, he hurriedly raised both defensive artifacts to block in front of him.
"Dang!" A clear sound rang out, surprising Han Li.
This time there was no powerful force transmitted, but the White Phosphorus Shield at the very front split cleanly in two with a "clang" and fell to the ground.
Seeing this scene, Han Li almost bit his tongue in shock.
This was too unbelievable! The White Phosphorus Shield had actually been sliced in half by that monster.