Three days passed in the flick of a finger.
Beneath Hanging Mountain's seemingly tranquil surface, the undercurrents surged ever more fiercely. News of the Black Fiend Cult and Shadow Killer Sect's devastating losses in the Mist Swamp spread like wildfire, thrusting Han Li's name into the eye of the storm once more. A Foundation Establishment cultivator had killed several opponents of his own realm, gravely wounded a False Core cultivator, and even cost two Nascent Soul powers men and resources. The ruthlessness of his methods and the uncanny nature of his strength drew every eye. Greed, wariness, curiosity, killing intent... gazes both open and concealed converged around the Taizhen Sect's quarters, awaiting the start of the Treasure Exchange Assembly.
For those three days, Han Li rarely ventured out, remaining in secluded cultivation to recover in a quiet guesthouse arranged by the Taizhen Sect. He knew full well that this so-called "Treasure Exchange Assembly" was no simple trading venue, but a meticulously laid deathtrap. The Black Fiend Cult and Shadow Killer Sect would never pass up this opportunity to surround and kill him openly, while the Taizhen Sect's attitude remained ambiguous.
"Five-Element Spiritual Fat..." Han Li stroked the jade bottle containing the spiritual fat, his gaze icy. This substance was the key to his Core Formation, but also a summons to his death. Venerable Xuanzhen had lured him into attending by claiming that "someone was interested," merely to see how he would respond-or even to kill him with a borrowed blade and force him to reveal more hidden cards. Yet this was also his only chance to break the trap: display his value beneath everyone's eyes, cow the petty villains, and divert the flood of trouble entirely into the conflict between the Taizhen Sect and the Black Fiend Cult.
"Since there's