Patriarch Linghu and the little old man walked out of the room together. Xiao Cuier, who was guarding the courtyard gate, heard the booming bell and looked at the little old man in panic.
The little old man frowned, walked over and whispered a few words, and the young girl's expression returned to normal.
Then the little old man called to Han Li, and the two of them flew into the sky on their magic artifacts, heading straight for the Hall of Deliberations.
Along the way, Han Li saw many cultivators flying in the same direction, but most were disciples at the Qi Refining stage, showing that the valley's strength was greatly depleted.
He figured that when the Demonic Path really attacked, even with the Grand Protective Array assisting the defense, they wouldn't hold out for long.
The two of them flew in silence with grim expressions and soon arrived in front of the massive stone hall.
At this moment, over a thousand cultivators had gathered in front of the hall entrance, but they were all stopped by the guards at the door. Only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage or above were allowed to enter for the deliberation.
Han Li and the little old man naturally had sufficient status, so they silently walked in under the complicated gazes of others.
As soon as Han Li entered the main hall of the Hall of Deliberations, he was stunned!
Because inside, there wasn't the chaotic scene of ants on a hot pan that he had imagined. The nearly hundred cultivators present were completely silent, all staring respectfully at the person seated in the main chair.
This person was naturally not the nominal leader of Yellow Maple Valley, Daoist Zhong Ling, because Daoist Zhong himself was standing obediently to the side. The one seated in the main position was a brocade-robed elder with completely white hair and beard.
The elder had a sallow, ugly face and a pair of small, dull, lifeless eyes—truly extremely ugly.
But for some reason, the moment Han Li saw this person, his heart skipped a beat. His hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.
"What's going on?" Han Li was shocked in his heart.
When the elder saw Han Li and the little old man enter, he merely glanced at them indifferently.
But that single glance made Han Li feel ice-cold all over, his heart extremely uncomfortable, as if all his hidden secrets had been seen through. His expression changed dramatically.
"Oh! Your primordial spirit cultivation is quite good. Have you been practicing some kind of primordial spirit tempering technique?" After looking at Han Li, the elder's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise as he asked calmly.
Hearing these words, Han Li was both terrified and shocked.
But what was even more incredible to him was that he couldn't sense any spiritual energy from the elder. This meant that the gap in their cultivation levels was as vast as heaven and earth, which was the only explanation for such a phenomenon. But even Li Huayuan and other Core Formation stage cultivators had never given him this feeling. Could this person be...
Han Li thought for a moment and was horrified. The tiny bit of anger he had long gone to the nine heavens, and instead he answered with extreme respect:
"Reporting to the senior. This humble one has indeed practiced a technique related to the primordial spirit. The senior truly has eyes like a torch!" Han Li secretly flattered the elder.
The brocade-robed elder smiled faintly upon hearing Han Li's words, then gently waved his hand.
Han Li and the little old man immediately understood and stood in the crowd.
After waiting for about the time it takes to eat a meal, another dozen or so Foundation Establishment stage cultivators arrived one after another.
Only then did Daoist Zhong Ling respectfully say to the elder:
"Patriarch, all the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the valley have arrived. However, Uncle-Master Huang is currently at Heavenly Stone Peak and probably can't make it back for the time being."
Hearing this, the brocade-robed elder frowned slightly, then immediately said with his usual expression:
"If he hasn't come, then forget it. Now saving people is like fighting a fire; we don't need to wait for him. Let's begin."
"Yes, the Patriarch speaks truly!" Daoist Zhong Ling agreed with utmost obedience.
The brocade-robed elder chuckled upon hearing this, but said nothing.
"Fellow brothers and sisters, let me introduce everyone. This is the long-awaited Patriarch Linghu. The Patriarch reached the Nascent Soul stage three hundred years ago and is the only Supreme Elder of our sect. Now that our sect faces an unprecedented crisis of annihilation, the Patriarch will arrange everything that follows."
After saying a few formal words, Daoist Zhong Ling obediently stepped back to one side.
Although most of the people below had guessed the brocade-robed elder's identity, after hearing these words, they were still stirred and looked at this Patriarch Linghu with peculiar eyes!
This was Yellow Maple Valley's only Nascent Soul stage cultivator in nearly a thousand years. It was said that he was nearly eight hundred years old, truly Yellow Maple Valley's ageless wonder!
When Patriarch Linghu saw the chaotic scene below, he lightly coughed once, and the hall immediately quieted down. Who would dare not give this patriarch face?
"Since you've heard the Dragon-Terror Bell, I won't waste any words."
"The Seven Sects alliance has already suffered a major defeat at the front. Our cultivators have suffered heavy casualties. Although we've barely managed to set up a second defensive line, defeat is already inevitable."
As soon as these few words left the elder's mouth, the many cultivators in the hall changed color dramatically. Han Li and the little old man exchanged a complicated glance, and could only remain silent in their hearts.
"Patriarch, how is that possible? Wasn't the day of our decisive battle with the Demonic Path not yet here? There's still over a month!" A middle-aged cultivator couldn't help but step forward and ask.
"That's precisely because the people at the front thought the same as you, which is why they were ambushed and defeated by the Demonic Path!" The brocade-robed elder's face darkened, and he rebuked harshly. This made the middle-aged man blush, and after bowing, he hurriedly retreated.
Seeing the fate of this middle-aged cultivator, how could the others not understand? So although they were full of doubts, they quietly listened to what this Patriarch Linghu would say next.
"Actually, this defeat in the great battle cannot be entirely blamed on the commanders at the front for not being careful enough or not anticipating the enemy's deception. Rather, it's because a traitor appeared among our Seven Sects. The people from Spirit Beast Mountain actually took advantage of their sect being on guard to privately open the outer Grand Protective Array, letting the Demonic Path people in. That's why this great defeat happened." As the elder spoke, a hint of anger appeared on his face.
Hearing the brocade-robed elder's words, the many cultivators suddenly understood and immediately cursed the Spirit Beast Mountain cultivators endlessly, causing some chaos once more.
"Alright, what's the use of talking about this now? The opponent was one step ahead, and we can only accept our inferiority. What's most important now is to save our sect from annihilation. You must know that the remaining cultivators at the front can at most buy us two or three days. We must withdraw from the State of Yue as soon as possible." Patriarch Linghu said calmly.
"Withdraw from the State of Yue?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent, and no one spoke. It seemed everyone was stunned!
For these cultivators born and raised in the State of Yue, leaving the State of Yue was simply too hard to accept. For a moment, no one spoke to agree with the patriarch.
"What? Can't bear to leave?" The elder said indifferently, not panicked at all, as if he had long expected this situation.
"Patriarch, could it be that even if you and the other senior Nascent Soul cultivators take action, you can't repel the Demonic Path?" Finally, a young man of about thirty asked hesitantly.
"Of course we can. If several of us old fellows join forces, we can easily eliminate these Demonic Path cultivators facing you." The elder said without hesitation.
"Then why doesn't the Patriarch..."
"But don't forget, the six great sects of the Demonic Path couldn't have such a great reputation without possessing many Nascent Soul stage cultivators. We several old fellows have already fought a few rounds with their old monsters. The result is that we are at a disadvantage. Therefore, the opponent forced us several to take a blood oath, just like them, not to personally participate in this great battle. This great battle can only be limited to the level of Core Formation stage cultivators." Patriarch Linghu sighed lightly, revealing a great secret that was far beyond expectations.
Han Li below suddenly understood why he had never seen Nascent Soul level cultivators appear in the great battle.
"If we don't move, when the entire Yellow Maple Valley is surrounded and wiped out, I won't be able to help due to my oath. Therefore, my decision is made. The entire sect must leave the State of Yue. Moreover, not just our State of Yue, the other five sects will also advance and retreat together with us. That way, in unfamiliar territory, we can still rise again. When our strength becomes great, we can simply take back the State of Yue." Patriarch Linghu said coldly with a sneer. Clearly, withdrawing from the State of Yue was not something he found hard to accept.
Seeing the patriarch speak so decisively, even if the others had different ideas, they didn't dare voice them and could only obey the old man's orders.
"Everything else is easy to handle, but there is one dangerous matter that still needs someone to do." Patriarch Linghu suddenly said something that made everyone pause, and the others couldn't help but look at each other in dismay.
"The people I point out next, come with me to the rear hall. The others stay here and listen to Daoist Zhong's arrangements for the withdrawal!"
After saying this, the old man stood up from his seat and walked expressionlessly toward the people below, leaving everyone still stunned. "You, and you..."
This old man was quite unceremonious, using his finger to point out more than half of the people present, and Han Li and the little old man were both among them.
After pointing out the people, the patriarch went straight to the rear hall on his own.
Han Li and the others grew somewhat uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, they obediently followed.