“I am….” “With that, I simply wouldn’t believe it at all!” Han Li cut off the other’s words without a flicker of expression. Hearing Han Li say this, Qu Hun smiled faintly, clearly still hopeful that he had convinced him. Thus, after a brief hesitation, Qu Hun spoke with a weak, weary tone, “As my esteemed colleague suspected, my identity is indeed rather special—I am not a cultivator from the Yue Kingdom.” “Not from the Yue people?” Han Li’s expression changed subtly upon hearing the first sentence, his mind now genuinely surprised. “I am actually a cultivator from the Yutian Kingdom’s Yuling Sect, here on a journey through the Yue Kingdom,” Qu Hun said calmly. “The Yuling Sect of the Magic Path!” Han Li’s eyes narrowed, sharp as blades of steel. “Yes, I came to your realm several years ago. I never expected, however, to have my physical form destroyed unexpectedly by a cultivator of great power from your country—now I find myself in this predicament.” When Qu Hu mentioned the destruction of his physical body, he looked utterly helpless. Han Li paused slightly, then raised a brow and asked, "Was it the body you sustained damage to five or six years ago?" His voice was calm and steady. Qu Hu, not hearing the underlying meaning, answered honestly, "Yes." "During those years when you occupied this body, you never thought of returning," Han Li asked, his tone composed. "Of course I thought of returning, but I must say, your understanding of our magical sect is rather limited," Qu Hu replied, his expression full of resignation. "What's the matter? I do know a bit about the magical sect, but it's all scattered bits and pieces of hearsay," Han Li admitted openly. "In our magical sect, we emphasize the principle of the strong prevailing over the weak, where power determines truth—those with greater strength enjoy greater authority. When I was at Yuling Sect, I held a respectable position, with a beautiful companion and several attendants and disciples who followed my commands." But now my cultivation has greatly declined. I wonder if, upon returning, these things will still be mine. There are surely ten out of twelve of my senior brothers who have already been eyeing my position—many of them will surely strike me from behind. Qu Hu said with a cold smile, explaining. Upon hearing this, Han Li furrowed his brow but said nothing. Qu Hu then continued, "I have suddenly dropped to this level of cultivation solely due to the process of spirit transplantation. Therefore, I am confident that as long as I remain hidden and continue to cultivate for another thirty to forty years, I will regain my former strength and be able to return with full dignity. Otherwise, do you think I would willingly stay in this utterly deserted place?" His tone carried a clear sense of resentment. "So you've been staying near Jia Yuan City all this time and have never met any other cultivators?" Han Li's expression remained calm and composed, as if unbothered. "No, you are the first overland cultivator I have encountered since my spirit transplantation," he replied, his face looking somewhat pale. "Why didn't you say this from the beginning, and instead pretend to be a cultivator from Lingshou Mountain?" Han Li continued pressing him without relaxing. "I didn't think you might be a cultivator from the Seven Sects, and that you might have been against me?" He said with a bright, confident tone. Your six immortal sects have already invaded our Yue state. That means we are now adversaries. Therefore, I have no further need to question you about any secrets—I shall immediately extract and extinguish your spirit essence right now, without wasting any more time." Han Li spoke calmly, his voice solemn and eerie. As soon as these words left his lips, the very person who had just suffered greatly turned pale as a sheet. "Invasion of our Yue state? How could that be? The time hasn't even come yet!" In a moment of panic, he blurted out, his face instantly turning pale, revealing regret. Han Li, however, was startled. "Do you know about this matter? Then I must admit I truly underestimated you. Nevertheless, even if you once held a high position in Yuling Sect, you are now merely a Qi-level cultivator! Don't expect me to be gentle." Han Li slowly arched his eyebrows, his expression growing stern. Then, with a simple hand motion, Han Li flipped his palm, and the "Juhun Cauldron" reappeared in his hands, instantly radiating a renewed sense of cold and eerie atmosphere. To韩立's surprise, the "Spirit of the Curve" did not show any fear, but instead fixed her gaze on the basin, her face revealing a strange expression. Seeing this,韩立 felt a growing sense of unease. He had no real understanding of the "Spirit Refinement Technique"—he had only used it as a means of intimidation. If the other party truly refused to speak even at the cost of their lives,韓立 would have no choice but to destroy both the "Spirit of the Curve" and himself. However, within the new blood-sacrifice secret technique he had recently acquired, there were some methods for extracting a spirit, though he had not yet had time to master them. As he was thinking this, the "Spirit of the Curve" sighed deeply and suddenly said, "Indeed, I have some secrets, and they are closely tied to the survival or demise of your seven sects. But how can you guarantee that once I speak, you will let me go? I suspect I'll still end up having my spirit refined and perishing." As she uttered the words "refined spirit," a subtle tremor passed through her face. Han Li heard the seriousness with which the other spoke, rubbed his nose, and with a wave of his hand, retrieved the basin once more. "What guarantee do you require? As long as it's reasonable, I'll consider it!" Han Li spoke calmly, as if he had completely dismissed the other's grand claims. "Hmph! I won't believe in ordinary oaths. In fact, I know that when practicing the Art of Soul Forging, the use of a soul vessel to make an oath is particularly frowned upon—should one break such an oath, they are often reversed and consumed by the very art, ending in a tragic demise. I demand that you swear an oath using a soul vessel. Once I reveal the truth, if you still act treacherously, your soul vessel will shatter, and you will suffer the very affliction of Soul Forging." Qu Hu said without hesitation. "Very well, I accept!" Han Li responded without the slightest hesitation, though he was silently chuckling to himself. Then, Han Li produced the "Convergence Basin" and recited a series of bitter oaths as requested. Seeing how Han Li had issued his vow so cleanly and decisively, Qu Hun found himself somewhat puzzled, as if something were amiss. "My oath is already sworn," Han Li said, maintaining his composure and deliberately conveying a hint of displeasure, without allowing Qu Hun to dwell on the subtle oddity. "You won't expect any further conditions, will you?" "Of course not," Qu Hun replied, aware of the consequences of being greedy. "But before you reveal your secret, I'd like you to first outline the current situation of our magical sects and your seven affiliated sects. For I'm not certain whether these details are still up to date." Qu Hun indeed diverted his attention, smiling勉强ly as he explained. Han Li's face briefly showed hesitation, yet he slowly provided a general account of the present state of the seven sects and the magical path. Qu Hun listened attentively, but when he heard that a battle between the two sides was scheduled for a month hence, a touch of scorn appeared on his face—something that Han Li, who had been closely observing Qu Hun's expression, noticed clearly. After listening to the introduction, Qu Hu沉 thought for a moment before beginning to speak. But the very first sentence he uttered left Han Li completely stunned. "If you would allow me to say one thing, you have no need to rush to the seven sects' main camp now. In fact, the seven sects and the allied forces of the other two nations have likely already suffered a decisive defeat. Your journey there would merely be a death sentence," he said, his expression somewhat unusual. Han Li maintained his composed demeanor, calmly gazing at the speaker as he listened to the further explanation. Impressed by Han Li's steady composure, the cultivator from Yuling Sect felt a growing sense of admiration, yet his confidence in Han Li steadily grew. At the same time, he continued speaking: "I suspect you may not be aware of this, but since the founding of Lingshou Mountain Sect, there has never been a break in our secret ties with Yuling Sect." The previous rebellion, if my assessment is correct, was deliberately orchestrated by our six sects—specifically designed to create a smokescreen, waiting for the arrival of cultivators from the other two nations, so as to finally eliminate all cultivators from the three countries in one sweeping move. Once this battle concludes, our six sects will undoubtedly dominate several nations. This was a secret that left Han Li feeling chilled. "A smokescreen? Isn't that rather excessive? The Spirit Beast Mountain has actively revealed its ties to your Yuling Sect. If it hadn't done so, wouldn't that have been even better?" Han Li said, his face growing pale with astonishment. "Do you truly believe the other six sects are unaware of the Spirit Beast Mountain's origins? After all, among your seven sects, aside from the Spirit Beast Mountain being a branch of our Yuling Sect, the strongest sect, Yan Yue Sect, and one of our six, Héhuā Sect, share deep historical connections. Indeed, the Yan Yue Sect severed ties with Héhuā Sect centuries ago and has since pursued an ambitious path of independence." "The elder of Yuling Sect then uttered a statement that surprised Han Li."