Chapter 1211: Volume 7: Across the Human World Chapter 1206: The Battle of Star Palace (Part 7)

Such an eerie occurrence had unfolded, and virtually every upper echelon of the Star Palace immediately concluded that this matter was undoubtedly connected to Han Li. The scenes from not long ago were still vivid in their memories. Anyone could see that the great cultivator harbored significant enmity toward Elder Ximen.

However, suspicion aside, none of the Star Palace elders openly voiced their grievances against Han Li. Astonishingly, they all chose to feign ignorance and remain silent.

Their restraint was due not only to Han Li’s status as a great cultivator, whom none dared provoke, but also because there wasn’t the slightest piece of evidence proving his involvement. On the contrary, Han Li had ample reason to outright deny this matter.

During the time surrounding Elder Ximen’s demise, Han Li had been with Elder Zhao, engaged in so-called “exchange of insights,” and had seemingly never parted from him throughout. Of course, anyone even slightly calculating could discern this was a deliberate smokescreen set up by Han Li to silence their suspicions.

Even if they were aware of the truth, the mere thought that Han Li could eliminate a Nascent Soul cultivator without lifting a finger sent chills down the spines of the Star Palace elders.

Had this been an ordinary cultivator, the elders wouldn’t have bothered with such formalities. They would have simply captured the individual and performed a soul search to uncover everything. But with Han Li being a great cultivator in the late Nascent Soul Stage, who would dare entertain such perilous thoughts? Even those elders who had been close to Elder Ximen in life remained muted.

What’s more, the Star Palace would soon need to leverage Han Li’s prowess, making it absolutely inadvisable to cross him at this moment. Thus, from Ling Yuling at the top to the ordinary elders of the Star Palace, everyone collectively decided to feign ignorance.

Han Li, after spending half a day exchanging insights with the Zhao elder, returned to his secluded chamber for further cultivation.

Upon learning of Elder Ximen’s demise, Elder Zhao stood in place, stunned for over half a day. Eventually, he could only let out a bitter smile, his face laden with helplessness.

Not long after, he neither stayed near Han Li’s secluded cultivation spot nor continued surveillance. Instead, he summoned two Core Formation disciples and left the area on his own.

After all, if Han Li could annihilate a Nascent Soul cultivator in one place while still remaining by his side, observing him was nothing more than a futile effort. Elder Zhao opted for prudence, retreating far away to avoid inviting disaster upon himself.

And so, an eerie spectacle emerged!

The Star Palace had indeed lost an elder, yet after hastily handling the postmortem matters, no one in its upper ranks dared to utter another word. Elder Ximen’s name seemed to become a taboo, left unspoken. Instead, everyone’s attention turned to the imminent battle days away, with a palpable sense of excitement and readiness.

Five days later, Han Li emerged from his secluded chamber and made his way to the Holy Temple. Inside, alongside the Star Palace elders, there were now over thirty Core Formation cultivators present.

Most of these cultivators were in the late Core Formation Stage, seemingly the backbone force right below the elders within the Star Palace hierarchy.

As Han Li slowly entered the hall, every cultivator’s gaze immediately fell on him, with most displaying reverence, while some showed traces of suspicion. Yet one thing remained consistent: wherever Han Li directed his gaze, the cultivators in that direction would promptly lower their heads, careful not to exhibit the slightest sign of disrespect.

To Han Li, dispatching an early Nascent Soul cultivator using a mere humanoid puppet was an insignificant feat. Yet, this minor act inadvertently instilled fear in the hearts of the Star Palace upper ranks.

Previously, these Star Palace cultivators acknowledged Han Li’s status as a great cultivator but had not witnessed his divine skills firsthand. Many harbored doubts about whether he could truly stand against Wan Tianming.

Wan Tianming had built a fearsome reputation over the past decades during his clashes with the Star Palace. Having eliminated numerous Star Palace elders, his renown across the Scattered Stars Sea had become unparalleled. But with Han Li demonstrating his uncanny ability to slay a Nascent Soul cultivator with an avatar technique, confidence in his abilities had surged among the Star Palace members.

This turn of events was something neither Ling Yuling nor Han Li had expected.

Ling Yuling was naturally pleased to see morale boosted as a result, while Han Li remained entirely indifferent.

“Fellow Daoist Han, please take your seat first. I will now proceed to organize the assault on the Starfall Coalition,” Ling Yuling said with an unusually polite tone upon noticing Han Li’s arrival.

Han Li nodded and seated himself on a stone chair positioned below her. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a pale white jade slip appeared in his hand, which he began examining, his demeanor entirely unbothered by the others around him.

Ling Yuling smiled faintly but turned to look at the other cultivators in the hall. Her expression immediately grew solemn as she began issuing orders in a steady, authoritative voice.

Han Li, though focused on the jade slip, did not tune out the happenings in the hall entirely. A portion of his spiritual sense remained monitoring Ling Yuling’s arrangements.

The Star Palace’s strategy was relatively straightforward. Although the Wind Fire Extinction Array comprised 108 flame pillars, they planned only to strike 36 of the pillars surrounding Heavenly Star City’s outskirts.

According to the Star Palace’s formation masters, these 36 pillars represented the most critical ones. Destroying the majority among them would render the array useless. Of course, achieving this depended on first capturing the array’s central node, which was guarded by Wan Tianming himself.

Thus, one Nascent Soul elder after another, along with Core Formation cultivators, rose in accordance with Ling Yuling’s stern commands, their expressions solemn. An invisible air of killing intent filled the hall.

Each pillar was assigned its own team for assault, but while some locations had teams led by two to three Nascent Soul cultivators, others lacked a single one–consisting only of a handful of Core Formation cultivators.

This disparity left Han Li somewhat surprised. Yet, after a brief thought, he understood the logic.

Most likely, Star Palace had undercover agents among the Starfall Coalition who had mapped out the defensive forces guarding these flame pillars in great detail, enabling such precise assignments.

Though Han Li didn’t lift his head, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Ling Yuling’s arrangements were swift, and within the span of a meal, nearly all cultivators present had been assigned specific missions.

Finally, Ling Yuling’s voice fell silent. Suddenly, glancing toward Han Li, she smiled and said, “Fellow Daoist Han, how about you join me, along with Elder Ma and Elder Zhao, in leading the attack on the central formation node? Wan Tianming personally guards the location.”

“No problem at all. However, when the time comes, I will only deal with Wan Tianming. As for the other cultivators, unless they provoke me, I won’t intervene,” Han Li replied casually, meeting her gaze.

Ling Yuling’s bright eyes briefly flickered with surprise upon seeing Han Li’s relaxed composure. She inwardly hesitated for a moment but then agreed sincerely.

Although Ling Yuling knew more about Han Li through the Heavenly Star Sages, she still did not know the extent of his divine skills. Worried that he might underestimate Wan Tianming, she proceeded to detail Wan Tianming’s advanced divine abilities post-breakthrough as well as his newly acquired treasures, aimed at arming Han Li with thorough knowledge.

Han Li listened, but his expression remained unreadable, showing neither acknowledgment nor concern.

Witnessing this, Ling Yuling sighed inwardly, refraining from further questioning Han Li’s confidence level. After all, this battle would determine whether the Star Palace survived or perished.

“Move out!” Ling Yuling sharply commanded, prompting the cultivators within the hall to rise as one and stream toward the exit.

The Foundation Establishment disciples stationed at the city’s gates had long been prepared. They merely awaited their Core Formation and Nascent Soul leaders to initiate action.

Han Li glanced at the jade slip in his hand before clasping his palms together, causing the slip to vanish without a trace.

The jade slip contained the Divine Essencefused Light Incantation, which was indeed exceptionally profound. Even after days of diligent study, Han Li had only scratched the surface. The mysterious Yuanci Mountain, said to assist in cultivating this technique, intrigued him greatly.

As thoughts casually played in his mind, Han Li joined Ling Yuling and the other elders in leaving the stone hall.

To Han Li’s surprise, waiting outside the hall was a gigantic beast-drawn carriage, stretching ten zhang in length.

Crafted entirely of a vivid green unknown wood, its surface was adorned with intricate runes, suggesting it was meticulously forged. Even more strikingly, the carriage was drawn by four green beasts–each spanning several zhang–lying prone on the ground.

For the first time since arriving in Heavenly Star City, Han Li was visibly startled.

Though these creatures were merely fifth or sixth level, they were unmistakably flood dragons.

Han Li clearly remembered that the flood dragon clan was fiercely protective of its own. While the Star Palace had been influential in the past, how could it dare harness actual flood dragons to pull its carriage without risking the wrath of the Spirit Beast Mountain?

“What’s this? Fellow Daoist Han, are you truly astonished by mere low-level demon beasts?” Ling Yuling teased with a faint smile upon noticing Han Li’s rare display of surprise.

“No, these beasts’ bodies may indeed come from flood dragons, but their spirits seem… unusual,” Han Li responded, narrowing his eyes as blue light flickered within his pupils.

“You are indeed perceptive, Fellow Daoist Han! These flood dragons’ bodies do not contain their original souls. Instead, they were corpses of low-level green flood dragons acquired by my father in a wager with the Golden Flood Dragon King during his early travels in the Outer Star Seas. Using secret techniques, he imbued them with the souls of profound-sea spirit pythons, creating these beasts to pull the carriage,” Ling Yuling explained, admiration evident on her face.

“I see. But Fellow Daoist Ling, placing such a carriage here–does it mean the carriage will be utilized in the attack this time?” Han Li furrowed his brows, still puzzled.

“Haha, Fellow Daoist Han, you may not know. This carriage was personally crafted by my father. Not only do the pulling beasts possess unique divine abilities, but the carriage itself harbors hidden wonders that make it useful for combat. Were it not for the significance of this battle, I wouldn’t even consider deploying this treasure,” Ling Yuling replied with arched brows, a slight mysterious smile crossing her lips.