Heavenly South, Star-Magnetic Peak.
Though the fighting on the Mulan Grassland had subsided, the wounds of war remained as stark and shocking as the exposed cliffs of Star-Magnetic Peak. The Headquarters Altar, once brimming with spiritual energy, was now shrouded in a faint smell of blood and burning. The ruined halls had yet to be repaired, and the air carried a mingled odor of medicinal pills and disinfectant.
Inside the Star Palace Main Hall, the atmosphere was heavy as iron.
Han Li sat high in the seat of honor, his black, star-patterned palace robes gleaming coldly in the candlelight. He did not deliberately release his pressure, but his spiritual pressure, half a step from Deity Transformation and mingled with the overbearing aura of the Brahma Saint True Demonic Art, made the entire hall feel oppressive. Beside him, Yue Li, the former Mulan Saintess, was like a tiger stripped of its fangs. Eight specially forged black iron chains engraved with Spirit-Locking Runes pinned her spread-eagled to a specially crafted Soul-Calming Jade Pillar. She looked haggard, her eyes dull. Only the occasional mingled flash of Silver Moon and scarlet gold hinted at the exalted status she had once possessed.
Below him on the left sat Nangong Wan, Lu Yun, Zhou Tong, and Shi Mang. On the right sat Wei Wuya, Alliance Leader of the Nine Nations Alliance, and Jian Wuxin of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. Following Venerable Zhiyang's death, another Nascent Soul Middle Stage elder had temporarily taken charge of the Taizhen Sect. He was absent today, evidently still harboring resentment over Zhiyang's death and the Nine Nations Alliance's retreat.
"Everyone," Han Li said evenly, his voice reaching every ear with perfect clarity, "Mulan has been subdued, the Saintess captured, and the Heavenly Lan Holy Temple eliminated. Next comes the division of