Deep within the Seven Mysteries Mountain range, Han Li sat cross-legged in a seldom-visited natural grotto. Several materials shimmered with spiritual light as they floated before him: yin marrow sand, centennial corpse moss, several kinds of tough demonic beast sinew and hide, and a few unfinished formation flags. He had already placed a simple warning restriction at the entrance, while his Essence-Concealing Technique blended his aura with the surrounding stone. Even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator passing by would struggle to notice anything amiss without a careful search.
Half a month had passed since the attack at Flowing Cloud Market. That brief clash had stirred little commotion within the Seven Mysteries Sect, perhaps because the Shadow Killer Sect operated in secrecy, or perhaps because the sect's higher-ups had deliberately suppressed the matter. But Han Li knew the enemies lurking in the dark would never let it rest. The time remaining before the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land opened would be the last calm before the storm-and a crucial window for strengthening himself and preparing his trump cards.
Strength is the foundation, but external tools are indispensable too. Especially when surrounded or driven into a corner, formations and talismans can overturn heaven and earth. Han Li swept his gaze over the materials, a plan already settled in his mind. First, he would refine a concealment formation combining the principles of the Essence-Concealing Technique and Shadowless Escape, along with several powerful offensive talismans.
He opened his mouth and expelled a strand of pure dark attribute spiritual power, enveloping the unfinished formation flags. His hands formed one spell seal after another, fluttering like butterflies weaving through flowers. The faint wisp of pseudo core flame at his fingertips sprang forth, carefully scorching and refining the yin marrow sand and corpse moss. He perfectly extracted their icy yin properties and let them seep slowly into the flags like ink. Fine, intricate black patterns began appearing on the flagpoles, giving off a faint sense of spatial distortion.
The process consumed immense mental focus and spiritual power. His control over the pseudo core flame had to be extraordinarily precise; the slightest carelessness would reduce all his previous efforts to nothing. Han Li concentrated fully, fine beads of sweat gathering on his forehead, yet his eyes remained exceptionally focused and calm. After enduring life-and-death battles, his resolve had long since become as firm as bedrock. This level of expenditure was still within his limits.
Three days later, with a soft hum, three pitch-black formation flags were successfully completed! Their surfaces shimmered with flowing radiance, yet they seemed capable of swallowing every ray of light. The flags stirred without wind, faintly revealing their ability to conceal auras and distort perception.
"I'll call you the Profound Yin Aura-Hiding Formation." Han Li nodded in satisfaction. Once deployed, the formation could create a small zone of absolute concealment, not only blocking spiritual sense probes but also distorting light and sound. Unless an opponent's spiritual sense far surpassed his own or they possessed a special eye technique, detecting it would be extremely difficult. It was an excellent aid for lying in ambush, hiding, and secluded cultivation.
Next, he took out the demonic beast sinew and hide, along with powdered ores containing explosive energy, and began making offensive talismans. Rather than common Fireball or Wind Blade Talismans, he chose several obscure varieties recorded in the Profound Fiend Asura Art: the Yin Thunder Talisman, which released a soundless, traceless arc of yin lightning that specialized in piercing protective energy and injuring the soul; the Spirit-Eroding Talisman, which could defile magical artifacts and erode spiritual power; and the Phantom Talisman, which created several illusory doubles convincing enough to pass for the real thing and confuse enemies.
Making talismans was no easy task either. He had to seal his spiritual power into a medium in a specific runic structure, demanding control down to the finest fraction. After several failures and a considerable waste of materials, Han Li finally produced three Yin Thunder Talismans, two Spirit-Eroding Talismans, and one Phantom Talisman. Though few in number, each contained his pure dark attribute spiritual power and was far more powerful than ordinary talismans of the same rank.
By the time he finished everything, another ten days had passed. Han Li's face was slightly pale. The prolonged, intensive crafting had placed a substantial burden on both his spiritual power and spiritual sense. He took a medicinal pill and sat in meditation, regulating his breathing until he returned to peak condition.
To do good work, one must first sharpen one's tools. Now that I have the beginnings of an arsenal for attack, defense, escape, and concealment, it's time to take the initiative. A cold gleam flashed through Han Li's eyes. Waiting passively was never his style. Since the Shadow Killer Sect and the Black Fiend Cult clung to him like maggots gnawing at his bones, he might as well clip some of their wings before the forbidden land opened. He could weaken his enemies while tempering himself through actual combat, and perhaps even obtain more intelligence about his foes.
He set his first target on Flowing Cloud Market. Fish and dragons mingled there, making it the likeliest place for the Shadow Killer Sect to station informants. He had never forgotten the old shopkeeper's "careless remark" last time.
That night, the moon was dark and the wind high. Han Li returned to the outskirts of Flowing Cloud Market. Rather than entering immediately, he quietly deployed his newly refined Profound Yin Aura-Hiding Formation on a rise several li outside the market. As the formation took effect, the light around him warped slightly and his aura vanished completely, as though he had become one with the mountain stone.
Then he activated the Essence-Concealing Technique, suppressing his aura to the eighth layer of Qi Refining, and used Shadowless Escape to slip soundlessly into the market like a true ghost. He did not visit the Hundred Goods Shop. Instead, like a hunter in the dark, he quietly spread his spiritual sense into an invisible net over several major entrances and exits, as well as a few inns with complicated backgrounds.
His patience was exceptional. Like a venomous snake lying dormant, he remained motionless in the shadows, carefully observing the spiritual power fluctuations and behavior of everyone coming and going. He pushed the Profound Yin Spirit Eye to its limits, catching the slightest flows of energy and changes in blood and qi.
For three consecutive nights, he found nothing. The market remained bustling, as though the earlier ambush had never happened.
On the fourth night, as midnight approached, the market gradually quieted. Just as Han Li was preparing to withdraw and watch from another location, his spiritual sense stirred.
A short, stout cultivator in ordinary clothes, whose cultivation appeared to be only around the Qi Refinement Fifth Layer, furtively slipped out through the rear door of an inn called the Drunken Immortal Residence. After looking around, he hurried not toward the market's interior, but toward a desolate burial ground outside it. There was nothing particularly unusual about his behavior, but Han Li's Profound Yin Spirit Eye keenly detected a slight disharmony in the circulation of his blood and qi. He seemed to have practiced some secret art that concealed his cultivation; his true level was likely close to Qi Refining Great Perfection! Moreover, an extremely faint trace of yin fiend aura lingered on him, sharing the same origin as that of the attackers from the other day!
Found you! A sharp gleam flashed in Han Li's eyes as he followed soundlessly. He did not stir the grass and startle the snake, merely trailing far behind to see where this little fish would swim.
The short, stout cultivator was extremely cautious. He wound back and forth through the burial ground, stopping from time to time to observe his surroundings. Only after confirming that no one was following him did he approach a ruined, nameless gravestone. Rather than paying his respects, he extended a finger and lightly tapped a certain pattern on the stone in a peculiar rhythm.
Click. A faint sound came from the gravestone's base, which slowly shifted aside to reveal a descending passage just wide enough for one person! An even denser yin fiend aura wafted out!
The short, stout cultivator swiftly slipped inside. The gravestone immediately closed behind him, returning to its original state.
There really is a covert outpost! Han Li sneered inwardly. This base was far better hidden than he had anticipated. He did not enter rashly. Instead, he found an excellent observation point some distance away and deployed the Profound Yin Aura-Hiding Formation again. Like the most patient of hunters, he settled into a silent vigil, carefully extending his spiritual sense like feelers toward the gravestone entrance to detect any activity within.
Two hours, four hours... a fish-belly whiteness began spreading across the horizon.
At last, in the darkest moment before dawn, the gravestone shifted aside again, and three figures emerged one after another. Apart from the short, stout cultivator, the other two wore black and radiated icy auras. Astonishingly, both were at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage! One had an inconspicuous black bone plaque hanging at his waist, engraved with a blurred character for "shadow"!
Full-fledged assassins of the Shadow Killer Sect! Han Li's pupils contracted slightly. It seemed this was more than an informants' base-it might even be a temporary liaison post for the Shadow Killer Sect!
The three exchanged a few words in low voices, then split up and swiftly departed in different directions. Their figures soon vanished into the thin mist of dawn.
Han Li pursued none of them. Stirring the grass and startling the snake was not the act of a wise man. He had confirmed the base and learned some of the enemy personnel's movements. His purpose had already been fulfilled.
He withdrew soundlessly and returned to the grotto, his next move already planned. This base and those two full-fledged Shadow Killer Sect assassins at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage would make excellent targets for testing his strength and gathering intelligence.
"The hunt has begun." Han Li sat cross-legged and began regulating his breathing, bringing himself into optimal condition. His eyes were cold and sharp, as though he could already see his prey struggling in the net.
Before the storm arrived, the game between hunter and prey had already quietly begun. And this time, Han Li would no longer be prey lying in hiding, but... the hunter who held life and death in his hands!
Before you continue