Chapter 19: Grandnephew of A Deity Transformation Cultivator

"Wyrm Essence Beads are capable of helping Core Formation cultivators break through cultivation bottlenecks, so this is indeed quite a remarkable treasure, but I have no need for such a thing, so I'm afraid I must refuse," Han Li replied with a shake of his head.

Yu Qi's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but she still wasn't willing to give up. "If you have any other demands, feel free to state them. As long as it's not something completely out of my reach, I'll do everything in my power to fulfill your request."

"I do owe you a favor for helping me awaken from my prior state, but I just prevented your suicide and killed those two Core Formation cultivators of the Heavenly Ghost Sect for you, so surely I've already done enough to return the favor.

“Under normal circumstances, perhaps I would be willing to accompany you, but I've only just awakened and have my own problems to take care of, so I'm afraid I won't have the time to spare to accompany you on a journey to the Cold Flame Sect," Han Li replied.

Yu Qi was distraught to hear this, but she was still holding onto one final shred of hope as she turned to Liu Le'er with an imploring gaze.

Liu Le'er couldn't bear to see her look so dejected, and she tugged on Han Li's sleeve with a hesitant expression.

Han Li was naturally aware of what she was thinking, and he gently patted her head, then cast his gaze toward a certain direction outside the courtyard as he said in a calm voice, "Rest assured, even if you don't have me in accompaniment, there will be others to protect you on your journey to the Cold Flame Sect."

Yu Qi faltered slightly upon hearing this, clearly failing to understand what Han Li was alluding to.

Right at this moment, several figures appeared in the distance.

Yu Qi and the other survivors of the Yu Family were all quite alarmed by this, and they immediately turned toward that direction. Daoist Master White Stone and the three elders had also summoned their magic tools again.

Shortly thereafter, several objects flew through the air, having been tossed into the courtyard from outside before landing on the ground. The objects rolled around briefly before coming to a rest, revealing themselves to be a cluster of human heads.

The heads belonged to the black-suited figures who had fled the scene earlier, and their faces were all twisted with shock and horror.

Everyone was given quite a fright by this, and Liu Le'er reflexively tightened her grip on Han Li's sleeve.

However, Han Li's expression remained as calm as ever as he cast his gaze toward a certain direction.

There, a white figure abruptly emerged amid a flash of white light, then drifted down into the courtyard with her clothes flapping around her.

It was a tall woman dressed in white who appeared to be in her thirties, and it was clear to see that she would've been a stunning beauty a decade ago. She was holding a black longsword, and was giving off a sharp and dangerous aura that was rarely seen in women.

"Master!" Yu Qi called out in an elated voice before rushing over to the woman.

"I'm so glad that you're safe, Menghan." The woman latched onto Yu Qi's hand as she gently stroked her hair, and her expression eased slightly as a doting look appeared in her eyes.

Yu Qi's reaction to the woman's arrival made it clear that she was not an enemy, and all of the surviving members of the Yu Family heaved a collective sigh of relief.

At the same time, Daoist Master White Stone and the three elders spotted a small flame pattern embroidered onto the woman's sleeves, a pattern that was identical to the one emblazoned on the badge that Yu Qi had brought out earlier, and respectful looks immediately appeared on their faces.

Liu Le'er seemed to be rather fearful of the woman, and she ducked behind Han Li as she clutched tightly onto his sleeve.

Han Li knew what she was concerned about, and he consoled in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, I'm here."

Liu Le'er was very much reassured by this, and she nodded in response.

"Why are you here, Master?" Yu Menghan asked as she fought back the tears in her eyes.

"I received news that the Heavenly Ghost Sect was going to attack the Yu Manor, so I immediately traveled here from the sect, but I was intercepted by the Heavenly Ghost Sect on the way, so I was delayed. Thank heavens I'm not too late," the woman said in a doting manner.

Yu Menghan led her master over to Han Li and the others before introducing everyone, putting special emphasis on her introduction of Han Li. "It's all thanks to our elders and Brother Liu here that we were able to survive. Everyone, this is my master. Master, these four are the elders of our Yu Manor, and this is Liu Shi. He took down two of the Heavenly Ghost Sect's Core Formation cultivators and played a pivotal role in saving us all."

Daoist Master White Stone and the elders hurriedly extended respectful salutes toward the woman.

Han Li didn't bother with such formalities, and he smiled as he turned to Yu Menghan. "I haven't had a chance to tell you this yet, but my name is actually Han Li. Liu Shi is just a moniker that I adopted."

Yu Menghan faltered slightly upon hearing this, then replied with a smile, "I see."

"I am Gu Yunyue of the Cold Flame Sect. Thank you for saving my disciple's life, Fellow Daoist Han. May I ask which sect you belong to?" the woman asked with an indifferent expression as she directed a sharp gaze toward Han Li and the others.

In the face of her probing gaze, Daoist Master White Stone and the others felt as if their skin were being pricked by sharp needles, and that only heightened the awe and veneration they felt toward the woman.

Gu Yunyue's gaze only roamed over the likes of Daoist Master White Stone and Liu Le'er for a brief moment before settling on Han Li, and the indifferent look on her face was instantly replaced with a hint of wariness.

Han Li's aura was extremely indistinct, and she was unable to see through him even with her spiritual sense, something that she found to be rather concerning.

"I don't belong to any sect, I'm just a vagrant cultivator. I only stepped in because I was indebted to Young Mistress Yu, and I was only repaying my debt," Han Li replied with a calm expression.

With his powerful spiritual sense, he was naturally able to see through the woman in an instant, and he discovered that she was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

"I see..." Gu Yunyue was rather surprised to hear this.

The fact that he was able to kill two Core Formation cultivators clearly indicated that he was quite a powerful cultivator himself, but there were very few cultivators at or above the Nascent Soul Stage among vagrant cultivators.

Gu Yunyue could see that Han Li was unwilling to divulge any further information, so she gave him a nod, then turned back to Yu Menghan. "The Prosperous Nation belongs to the Heavenly Ghost Sect now, so we can't linger here. We have to leave right away."

The survivors of the Yu Family were eager to get away from here, and they were all ecstatic to hear this.

"Hold on a moment, Master, I have something to show you," Yu Menghan suddenly said, then led Gu Yunyue over to the body of Qi Minghao.

"That's Qi Minghao! Why is he here?" Gu Yunyue asked with a surprised expression.

Yu Menghan's heart jolted slightly at the sight of Gu Yunyue's reaction, and she asked, "So you recognize him as well, Master. Is his granduncle really an elder of the Heavenly Ghost Sect?"

"That's right. His granduncle, Qi Xuan, is an elder of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, and he's already at the Deity Transformation Stage. On top of that, he's extremely protective of his juniors, and if he finds out that his grandnephew has been killed, he definitely won't let things slide," Gu Yunyue said.

Yu Menghan's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and Daoist Master White Stone and the others were also horrified.

Deity Transformation cultivators transcended above even Nascent Soul cultivators, and a cultivator of that caliber could easily erase them out of existence without even raising a finger.

"Who killed Qi Minghao?" Gu Yunyue asked, and her gaze was already wandering toward Han Li.

Meanwhile, Han Li casually made his way over to the body of the gray-robed man before picking up a storage bag and examining its contents as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"It was indeed Brother Han who killed this man," Yu Menghan confirmed.

A grim look appeared on Gu Yunyue's face upon hearing this.

"Master, will Qi Xuan try to personally avenge his grandnephew?" Yu Menghan asked in an uneasy manner.

Gu Yunyue considered the question momentarily, then shook her head in response. "Qi Xuan holds a very lofty position in the Heavenly Ghost Sect, and he has many descendants, so he most likely won't leave the sect just over the death of a grandnephew. At the very most, he'll only send some disciples of the Heavenly Ghost Sect to investigate this matter."

Yu Menghan's expression eased slightly upon hearing this.

"Even so, we can't afford to get complacent. Menghan, you and I need to set off right away and ensure that we return to the Cold Flame Sect before the people sent by Qi Xuan arrive," Gu Yunyue continued in a grim voice.

Yu Menghan's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. Judging from what Gu Yunyue had just said, it sounded like she was only planning to take Yu Menghan with her and no one else.

"Master, can my family also come to the Cold Flame Sect with me?"

All of the survivors of the Yu Family turned to Gu Yunyue upon hearing this, and Daoist Master White Stone and the other elders also turned to her with hopeful expressions.

If they could take advantage of this opportunity to join the Cold Flame Sect, even if they could only be outer court disciples, it would still be far better than being vagrant cultivators, particularly given that they had already made an enemy out of the Heavenly Ghost Sect.