Master Yue and the scholar waited a moment. "Since our Yan family has already agreed to join your esteemed sect, does the young master have any further instructions?" This time, Master Yan spoke noticeably more gently than before, clearly mindful of the fact that the Yan family would soon become an integral part of the Gui Ling Sect. "Master Yan, why be so formal? Since I and Miss Ru Xian have exchanged our life-and-death vows, this is effectively our marriage pledge! From now on, you may call me Wang Chan—no need to address me as the young master!" After a graceful bow, Wang Chan spoke with refined poise. "How could that be acceptable? As long as Miss Yan and I have not yet been formally married, how can you treat me as merely the young master? After all, the Yan family is now poised to become a full part of the Gui Ling Sect." Master Yan remained expressionless, gently stroking his short beard, and shook his head in opposition. The young master of Gui Ling Sect listened carefully to the elder of the Yan family's words and realized that the latter still harbored some reservations about him. With a gentle smile, he said, "In fact, Wang Chan invited Miss Ruyan to accompany me and meet with the elder again, hoping to learn how the Yan family intends to fulfill the agreement. After all, our six sects will officially launch an attack on the Yue state in five days' time. Should the Yan family fail to evacuate promptly, we may face complications." "Please rest assured on this point," the young scholar interjected promptly. "Although it may appear that our family has many members, in reality, we often let go of distant relatives whose bloodline connections are weak, as well as ordinary people without magical abilities. It would simply be impractical to relocate all of them at once. This is something our family fully understands!" "Such a commendable effort by the Yan family reassures me greatly. Indeed, if too many of our members move together, it would be difficult to keep the seven sects' attention hidden. Should any information leak out, that would certainly be problematic." "This is Master Xuan Ye, renowned at the Yan family for his meticulousness and flawless execution—your reputation has long been admired by me!" said the young master of Gui Ling Sect, his eyes assessing the scholar with a light smile. Upon hearing that the young master had immediately called out both his name and his nickname, the scholar felt a sudden sense of alertness, yet maintained a composed and smiling demeanor. "My purpose in seeking out the elder is not merely this matter—I also wish to understand how the Yan family intends to handle the over twenty foundation-level cultivators currently stationed within the fortress. Many of them are key disciples from the seven sects! And yet, the Yan family must relocate within just two days—should these individuals witness the situation, it would surely be most inconvenient," said the young master, his tone calm, though the implication clearly unsettled both the elder of the Yan family and the scholar. "The young master's suggestion…" the elder of the Yan family replied, his voice slightly subdued. "Indeed, cultivation of the Blood Spirit Technique requires the offering of cultivators' souls through blood sacrifices in order to commence successfully." Why not instead use my Gui Ling Sect’s Yin Fire Array to fully transmute the physical bodies of these monastic disciples, leaving only their souls to be used for Fu Yan’s foundational cultivation? With the accumulated, dense souls of so many foundation-level cultivators, I’m certain Lady Xian will be able to effortlessly master the first layer of Blood Spirit cultivation. The young master of Gui Ling Sect proposed this seemingly simple yet profoundly treacherous suggestion, which sent a chill through both the scholar and the elder of the Yan family. "No way! We can afford to lose the seven sects’ support—what about the cultivators from other nations? They’ve come specifically to accept our invitation to form dual cultivation partnerships with Lady Yan. We absolutely cannot make such a move that offends so many!" The scholar, startled, quickly interjected, fearing that the elder of the Yan family might indeed agree to the proposal. "Xuan Ye, don’t worry! I haven’t grown so senile yet!" The elder of the Yan family replied, shaking his head slightly at the scholar. Then, turning to the young master of Gui Ling Sect, he said: "What a splendid idea the young master has come up with! If we truly proceed this way, though the world may be vast, we may find ourselves with no place to stand—no room for the Yan family anymore. The Yan family will not actively attack any of the invited cultivators within the fortress, but I can gather the cultivators from the seven sects into one place. As for how we treat them and whether we can secure such a large number of them, it will entirely depend on your sect's capabilities." Upon hearing the old master of the Yan family's words, the scholar breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement. Yet, upon hearing this, the young master of Gui Ling Sect's eyes flashed with displeasure. He spoke slowly and with some reservation: "These cultivators' essences have been offered as sacrifices to Lady Ruoyan—this is a direct benefit to your Yan family. Yet, the Yan family shows no willingness to contribute even a single effort. Is this not quite unreasonable?" The old master of the Yan family paused, slightly startled. Yet, with his seasoned wisdom and composure, he immediately replied, "However, Yan'er is soon to marry the young master and become the lady of the mansion. Once all the people are under your care, it would surely be only natural for you to extend your assistance. Of course, after our Yan family formally joins the Gui Ling Sect, we will no longer show leniency toward the seven sects. Nevertheless, these disciples were invited by us initially. Should our family now intervene, we would surely suffer a poor reputation among the foreign cultivators. Indeed, simply letting them go would also not be entirely satisfactory. Therefore, it would be best if the young master himself takes the lead—this way, our Yan family can justify our actions to the foreign cultivators. Moreover, I believe that with the two Dan-jing stage cultivators at the young master’s side, it would be impossible for them to capture even several dozen Jian-ji stage disciples, wouldn’t you agree?" Upon hearing this, the young master of Gui Ling Sect gazed deeply at the elder of the Yan family before lowering his head to ponder. After a while, he raised his head and glanced at Yan Ruyan, who had remained silent throughout, and said softly, "Since the Elder has spoken thus, then the Gui Ling Sect shall take the role of the villain this time. These cultivators' souls shall be considered the dowry for Miss Ruyan from Master Wang!" "Once the elder has thought it over, simply inform the younger ones of the gathering place of the seven sect's cultivators, and then wait patiently for further news. For now, Wang Chan shall retire." The young master of Gui Ling Sect bowed gracefully to the elder of the Yue family with polite, well-mannered words before gracefully departing. Meanwhile, the elder of the Yan family and the scholar exchanged a significant glance in the hall. Had he not been dressed as a man, or if he had not been regarded as a strikingly beautiful figure, it would have been nothing surprising. Yet what struck everyone more profoundly was that despite his exceptional appearance, every gesture and movement seemed perfectly natural, harmonious, and well-mannered. Under ordinary circumstances, Yan Yu and Feng Shifu would surely not have harbored any ill will toward such a man. Yet now, both were glaring at the purple-robed male cultivator with fiery eyes, their expressions livid. Not only because Dong Xuan'er was being half-carried by him, but primarily because Dong Xuan'er was gazing at the stranger's breathtaking face, utterly enchanted. Han Li glanced around, furrowed his brows, and inwardly cursed. He had merely intended to take a shortcut back to the inn after the gathering. How could he have imagined that such a dramatic scene of rivalry would unfold in such a secluded alley? Now, no matter how hard he tried, he could not escape it! After all, the Red Fu Senior had reminded him before leaving to properly supervise Dong Xuan'er. If he didn't see her, he could simply treat Dong Xuan'er's eccentric behavior as if he were unaware. But now, face to face, if he didn't ask any questions, it would seem utterly unreasonable! Moreover, these two who had completely become Dong Xuan'er's devoted followers were both taken aback upon seeing him arrive, and then immediately rushed over with genuine delight, eager to have him take Dong Xuan'er away from that handsome male cultivator. In their eyes, compared to this strikingly beautiful man, Han Li's potential danger seemed so minor that it could be entirely overlooked. Clearly, they had come to see Han Li as their last hope. While listening to the two, now thoroughly flushed with resentment, Han Li carefully observed the handsome man and Dong Xuan'er's enchanted expression. According to their account, they had been accompanying Dong Xuan'er to several renowned shops earlier in the afternoon to purchase ingredients and talismans, when unexpectedly, they encountered this very person. To the surprise of the two, Dong Xuan'er immediately fell head over heels upon seeing this man, becoming increasingly persistent in her pursuit—so much so that her enthusiasm grew overwhelming, leaving both of them equally exasperated. What nearly drove them to their knees was that, once Dong Xuan'er began to follow him, the man not only accepted her warmly but immediately made moves to take her away. In such a situation, how could they possibly agree to let him be blocked in this narrow alley, forcing him to leave Dong Xuan'er behind? After a cold laugh, the man declared that as long as Dong Xuan'er herself wished to stay, he would offer no resistance—this statement left the two utterly helpless, for no matter how they looked at her, Dong Xuan'er's expression clearly conveyed her eagerness to embrace and pursue him.