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The first segment of the Loose Cultivator gathering had ended.
The coordinator, Li Deshun, said a few words, and with that, the second segment began.
Originally intended for exchanging cultivation experiences and intelligence information, very few cultivators were doing so at the moment.
Most people's attention was on Han Li, curious to see if this "Consort-taking Ancestor" was as honest and naive as he appeared and whether he would flee beforehand.
At least seven or eight Pihai Realm Loose Cultivators had the idea of ambushing Han Li to rob him of all his fortuitous treasures.
These people exchanged glances, instantly understanding each other's intentions. They would first ambush Han Li, and whether they would share the loot or rely on their own abilities was a matter for later.
As Loose Cultivators, almost all who could cultivate to the Pihai Realm were cunning individuals, not ones to fight each other without reason beforehand.
Other cultivators, who had no plans to participate, watched the developments with an air of spectatorship. They would not join in the ambush of Han Li but would not offer him assistance either, unless he asked them to lend a hand.
Of course, he would have to pay a hefty price to solicit their help.
In a corner of the gathering, a low-profile cultivator in blue garments observed the scene, his eyes filled with mockery.
His aura fluctuations were merely at the first level of the Pihai Realm, even lower than Han Li's, and he had no reputation to speak of. He had not made a move during the transactions and was seldom noticed by others. Even if their gazes occasionally swept over him, they quickly moved away.
"Idiots!"
"Do you even deserve Han Li's great fortune? Hah..."
The cultivator in blue scoffed inwardly. He had arrived at the right place, nearly missing this opportunity.
He had come from Qingzhou, belonging to a major sect there, and caused a significant event in Qingzhou before fleeing all the way to Leizhou.
His destination was not Leizhou but to pass through Leizhou to leave the Daqian Empire's jurisdiction and head to the Yinyang Sect to evade the pursuit. Then, he would slowly cultivate; with that treasure, he was sure to rise.
Passing by Fengyang Manor, he had chanced upon news of the Loose Cultivator gathering. At first, he had no intention of attending, but upon learning of the gathering's location, he changed his mind since it was on his way, seeing no harm in taking a look.
If he had not attended the Loose Cultivator gathering, how could he have encountered Han Li, the boy delivering treasures right to his doorstep, and missed such a fortune.
As for those cultivators, he did not take them seriously. When the time came, he would deal with them together, obtaining additional cultivation resources to pave the way for his rise to power.
However, to be cautious, Lu Renbin decided to lie in wait, playing the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
If those planning to ambush Han Li started fighting among themselves, it would save him effort. If they planned to divide the spoils, he would have to strike first and decisively, assassinating two or three, then deal with the remaining cultivators.
As a peak Pihai Realm cultivator hailing from a major sect, Lu Renbin believed he had the strength to do so.
Both the cultivator in blue and those seven or eight cultivators did not take Han Li seriously, considering him meat on the chopping block, awaiting their carving.
If Han Li decided to flee beforehand, that would suit them even better. They could just go ahead and intercept him, not wanting to wait any longer.
Since Han Li was not running away, they might as well let this naive treasure-delivering boy live a little longer.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Han Li seemed oblivious, not only showing no intention of fleeing but also appearing rather enthusiastic.
He first approached several cultivators to gather intelligence, seeking to understand more information. Everyone who conversed with him looked at him with a stunned expression.
Had Han Li, by some stroke of luck, broken through to the Pihai Realm and then muddled his mind with too many consorts? At such a time, he was asking about trivial intelligence instead of preparing to flee.
After asking around, the cultivators were unwilling to talk much to Han Li, feeling it was unlucky to do so. In their opinion, Han Li was as good as dead.
Realizing this, Han Li inwardly heaved a sigh. Perhaps he had overacted. It seemed he would not be able to exchange any useful intelligence now.
With this in mind, Han Li abandoned the idea of exchanging intelligence and decided to do two more things before leaving. The fish had been on the hook for a while, all that was left was to pull in the net.
In another corner of the gathering, a lurker, unaware of when he had withdrawn there, was secretly observing, ready to make an early escape.
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At that moment, a figure appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
"Where do you think you're going?"
From his elevated position, Han Li looked down at the somewhat hunched figure.
The figure: "???"
At this moment, the figure was a bit stunned, with a large question mark appearing above his head.
As he faced Han Li, who was blocking the way, the figure's face under the cloak became serious, his eyebrows tightly furrowed.
What does this person want?
Upon realizing that the gazes of the loose cultivators had been drawn over by Han Li, the figure inwardly cursed his luck and had no choice but to speak, "Fellow Daoist Han, may I know what business you have with this old one?"
He just wanted to quickly get rid of Han Li and continue to be invisible, looking for an opportunity to make a getaway.
This thick-skulled patriarch consort was really too careless—what was the use of asking questions here? If he didn't run now, there wouldn't be a chance left, even if he obtained some precious intelligence, it would be of no use.
He didn't want to accompany Han Li to his death.
The Pihai Pill was extremely precious, but with Han Li there, stealing the spotlight, everyone's attention was focused on Han Li, thus overlooking him.
The figure had already noticed the malevolent gaze of a loose cultivator, clearly targeting him, probably planning to kill for treasure.
He only had the strength of the ninth level of the Innate Realm, and even with some hidden tricks up his sleeve, it would be difficult to escape from the pursuit of a veteran at the Pihai Realm.
"Has fellow Daoist forgotten what he promised Han earlier? The Pihai Pills of this old man are not so easily obtained."
Han Li, seeing how desperate the figure was, decided to tease him and intentionally raised his voice.
The figure fell silent, blinking at Han Li, and muttered to himself, "Help you with something? But do you even stand a chance?"
Han Li didn't care what he was thinking, simply saying, "After the gathering of loose cultivators, you must visit Lingjun City within a month."
"Fine," the figure immediately agreed, eager for this harbinger of doom to hurry off somewhere else.
As Han Li turned and walked towards Li Deshun, the figure had just breathed a sigh of relief when Han Li's voice echoed in his mind, "Little guy, I've marked you. If you don't come to Lingjun City on time, you won't be able to escape me even at the ends of the earth."
The figure's pupils contracted sharply, and as he watched Han Li's retreating figure, a trace of alarm flickered in his eyes, internally regretting having caught the attention of such a shameless old man.
At the Pihai Realm, one cannot transmit sound; only after cultivating to the Gang Yuan Realm and the Divine Spirit being nourished and strengthened by the physical body can one transmit sound, although the range is limited.
Han Li's ability to use sound transmission indicated that he was indeed a Great Master of the Gang Yuan Realm and not the second level Pihai Realm patriarch consort that the outside world believed him to be, the insatiable "Consort Collector."
This was too deep a disguise!
Being targeted by such an old man made him very uneasy, especially since this old man had a penchant for taking consorts, which made him even more uneasy.
He was hesitant about whether to go to Lingjun City or simply to run away. Would this old Master Han really be able to find him?
After some thought, he decided that after leaving, he would find a place to check himself. If he found the mark, he would remove it and then make his escape.
Casting a glance at the several Pihai Realm loose cultivators planning to ambush Master Han, the figure's eyes revealed a hint of pity.
Ambushing a Great Master of the Gang Yuan Realm was practically courting death!
"However, this Han Li has a really dark heart!" the figure silently complained.
You, a Great Cultivator of the Gang Yuan Realm, conceal your cultivation and come to participate in a gathering of Pihai Realm loose cultivators, all the while playing the honest man and fishing for information—you truly are an old silver piece.
At the same time, he reminded himself to be extremely careful in his actions in the future and to never fall into the hands of fishermen like Han Li.