Chapter 1322: Coercion and Choice

Crane Gang Immortal Domain.

The cave dwelling hidden in the nameless mountain range had been sealed and closed for several hundred years.

Inside a side chamber of the cave, Zi Ling, dressed in a purple gown, sat cross-legged on a stone bed, regulating her breath.

The Taiyi peak realm she had previously stabilized had persisted for many years, always stuck at a bottleneck, unable to advance further.

Just then, as she sat with eyes closed in meditation, her mind was suddenly disturbed. She lifted her eyelids and woke up.

Her gaze turned to the other side of the chamber, and a flash of barely concealed joy flickered in her eyes.

Immediately after, a rumbling sound of rock grinding echoed, and the door to the opposite secret chamber opened. A tall figure slightly bowed his head, stepped out from within, and gave her a gentle smile.

Zi Ling stood up from the stone bed and looked Han Li up and down. Her heart trembled slightly, and an expression of disbelief flashed in her eyes.

"In just a few hundred years, the aura on you..." After a long while, she couldn't help but say.

"I just came out of seclusion; my aura fluctuations are still a bit unstable. They'll settle down in a few days." Han Li smiled and said.

"I'm talking about your realm." Zi Ling said, with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"It's indeed Daluo peak. Don't worry, I haven't used any shortcuts or forced methods. It's just that my cultivation technique is somewhat special. This realm is solidly cultivated, not a castle in the air." Han Li stepped forward, took her hand, and gently squeezed it, saying.

"That's good." Zi Ling nodded and said.

Having said that, her expression dimmed a little. Han Li's cultivation advancing to such a degree meant that he would likely soon return to the Netherworld Realm.

Seeing her expression change, Han Li was about to ask when he suddenly frowned, his expression shifting slightly.

"What's wrong?" Zi Ling asked hurriedly upon seeing this.

Han Li gently shook his head, turned his wrist, and a black mask of the Reincarnation Hall appeared in his palm.

Without a word, he put on the mask and raised his hand to tap the center of its brow.

Instantly, runes lit up all over the mask, and a faint light glowed at the brow center, casting a patch of light and shadow forward. Within it, black light coalesced into the figure of a tall, slender man.

He wore a black robe and a bamboo hat with a veil, his aura extremely restrained. It was none other than the Reincarnation Hall Master.

As soon as Han Li saw the Reincarnation Hall Master, he knew something must have gone wrong and immediately asked:

"What happened?"

"Rushuang... she was captured by the Heavenly Court." The Reincarnation Hall Master hesitated briefly before answering.

"What did you say? What happened to Wan'er?" Han Li's expression under the mask changed immediately as he asked.

Zi Ling's expression also changed upon hearing this.

Back then, Han Li had chosen not to conceal the matters of the Reincarnation Hall but found an opportunity to tell her everything. So she already knew the identity of the Reincarnation Hall Master and that Gan Rushuang was Nangong Wan.

"After you left the Netherworld Realm back then, Rushuang awakened not long after. Although she had two sets of memories, in the end, she chose not to become my wife but insisted on being Nangong Wan." The Reincarnation Hall Master said.

Hearing this, Han Li's eyes flickered, and a surge of warmth welled up in his heart. He said angrily:

"Why was she captured by the Heavenly Court? Weren't you confident enough to oppose the Heavenly Court? How could you let something happen to her?"

"After she chose you back then, she originally planned to go find you immediately. But she was worried about becoming a burden to you, so she didn't leave right away. I also wasn't at ease and never let her go. However, later, the Reincarnation Hall completely lost track of you, and even the mask couldn't contact you. Not long ago, worried about your safety, she left the Netherworld Realm privately to find you while I was in seclusion. As a result, the Heavenly Court took advantage of the opportunity and captured her." The Reincarnation Hall Master said.

"Have you already found out where she is?" Han Li listened, his eyes narrowing, and he let out a heavy breath before asking.

"No. The Heavenly Court did this secretly, making it hard to find. However, not long after she was captured, Gu Huojin sent a message demanding that I personally go to the Zhongtu Immortal Domain. As long as I agree to go, they guarantee they won't harm a single hair on her head. Once I arrive in the Zhongtu Immortal Domain, they will release her immediately." The Reincarnation Hall Master said.

Han Li fell silent upon hearing this.

He knew that the Heavenly Court deeply detested the Reincarnation Hall Master, and the two sides had been locked in conflict for endless ages. Once he fell into the hands of the Heavenly Court, the consequences were self-evident.

"I have already agreed to Gu Huojin. I will no longer hide and will go to the Zhongtu Immortal Domain as promised." The Reincarnation Hall Master said.

"When do you set out?" Han Li asked.

"I still need to make some preparations. Otherwise, not only will I fail to save her, but all past efforts will be in vain." The Reincarnation Hall Master said.

"I'll go with you." Han Li said without any hesitation.

The Reincarnation Hall Master hesitated for a moment, then said: "Alright. When the time comes, you take Rushuang away, and I'll feel more at ease."

"What I want to take away is Nangong Wan. Before that, I have something to do. Once it's done, I'll go to the Netherworld Realm to meet up with you." Han Li said.

"Good, I'll wait for you." The Reincarnation Hall Master said.

"The words of the Heavenly Court cannot be fully trusted. It's best to find out Wan'er's specific location. Put more effort into it." Han Li said.

"If I get any news, I'll inform you." The Reincarnation Hall Master said.

After the two finished their discussion, the light on Han Li's Reincarnation Hall mask dimmed, and the projected figure disappeared.

Zi Ling looked at Han Li with a complex expression.

Han Li opened his mouth to explain, but Zi Ling said: "Go ahead. Rescue her."

"Let's go back." Han Li said.

"Back where?" Zi Ling asked in confusion.

"The Northern Frost Immortal Domain." Han Li said, his gaze firming.

...

On the other side, in a great hall within the Netherworld Realm.

The Reincarnation Hall Master, who had just finished communicating with Han Li, slowly walked down from the high platform in the hall.

At that moment, a figure hurried into the hall, wearing a loose black robe. His arms, neck, and cheeks were all wrapped in thick bandages, inscribed with golden runes, giving him a very strange appearance.

"Hall Master, I have just divined the whereabouts of Huanglu Venerable from the Qiutian Immortal Domain. He will arrive at Dunyang Continent in a few days." The black-robed man reported in a hoarse voice.

"The Qiutian Immortal Domain is merely a medium-sized immortal domain with no direct teleportation array to the Zhongtu Immortal Domain. His going to Dunyang Continent is most likely to use the teleportation array there to go to the Xuantian Immortal Domain, which has a teleportation array directly to the Zhongtu Immortal Domain. Send a message to Fenghui and Wujiang to intercept and kill this person at Dunyang Continent. Kill all his followers as well." The Reincarnation Hall Master said.

"As you command." The black-robed man clasped his fists and turned to leave.

"Yuan Chunfeng, how many years have you been by my side?" The Reincarnation Hall Master suddenly asked.

The black-robed man stopped, turned back, thought for a moment, and replied: "Too long, I can't remember exactly. Probably a few million years..."

"Use your Heavenly Calculation to divine for me: if I go to the Heavenly Court ahead of time, what are my chances of victory?" The Reincarnation Hall Master asked, his tone as calm as water.

"Does the Hall Master truly wish to calculate? Given my current state, one Heavenly Calculation would not yet incur heavenly punishment unto death, but afterward I would be no different from a cripple. Moreover, when it comes to the Time Dao Ancestor, the heavenly secrets... may not be fathomable." Yuan Chunfeng's tone was equally calm as he stated slowly.

"If that's the case, then there's no need. I still rely on you to predict the routes of the various Daluo cultivators heading to the Bodhi Banquet. Otherwise, intercepting them halfway would be like looking for a needle in a haystack." The Reincarnation Hall Master said.

Yuan Chunfeng said nothing more, only clasped his fists in salute again.

"Your Butian Sect's method of hedging bets between my Reincarnation Hall and the Heavenly Court is quite clever." The Reincarnation Hall Master suddenly smiled and said.

"The Hall Master jests. This is our helpless move. You and the Time Dao Ancestor are both figures at the very pinnacle of the True Immortal Realm. Your confrontation has long surpassed the struggle for the Dao, even disturbing the Heavenly Dao and disrupting the heavenly secrets. Our Butian Sect cannot predict an accurate outcome, so we have no choice but to do this." Yuan Chunfeng said.

"Ancestor Chen Tuan chose to bet on Gu Huojin's side, while you, his first disciple, bet on our side. It seems you still think the Heavenly Court has a greater chance of winning. However, this way, you won't win big if you win, and you won't lose everything if you lose. At least, no matter which side wins, you can preserve the sect's inheritance." The Reincarnation Hall Master said.

"If the Heavenly Court wins, I will also perish along with the Reincarnation Hall. I hope the Hall Master won't let me lose." Yuan Chunfeng's eyes, visible through the gaps in his bandages, flashed with a glint as he said slowly.

The Reincarnation Hall Master did not speak, only nodded to indicate that Yuan Chunfeng could leave.

The latter slowly walked out of the hall, leaving the empty hall with only the Reincarnation Hall Master, whose figure gradually faded into the darkness.

...

Time passed, and over two years went by.

Outside a border city on the edge of Guyun Continent in the Northern Frost Immortal Domain, a streak of light descended from the sky.

Within the light, a tall man in a green robe and a beautiful woman in a purple gown appeared simultaneously. They were none other than Han Li and Zi Ling, who had returned from the Crane Gang Immortal Domain.

The two landed beside a dilapidated stone pavilion outside the city. Their bodies were enveloped in a faint golden light, isolating the gray mist permeating the surrounding void.

Han Li gazed into the distance at the city wrapped in a barrier of light, a trace of nostalgia flashing in his eyes. He said:

"Back when I first left the Black Wind Sea and was on my way to the Candle Dragon Sect, I briefly stayed in this city. Compared to my memory, it has changed a lot."

"Now that the Gray Realm is invading on a large scale, not only the Northern Frost Immortal Domain but also several neighboring immortal domains have been occupied by them. Times have changed, so naturally, things are very different." Zi Ling said.

"Most of the Northern Frost Immortal Domain has already been transformed by the Gray Realm. The original immortal cultivators of the realm have no choice but to retreat into the cities, barely surviving. I think it won't be long before these places are completely conquered." Han Li sighed and said.

"There's no help for it. The Heavenly Court not only refuses to send reinforcements but also forcefully suppresses this matter. Few in the immortal realm know about this situation, and the news doesn't spread, so it naturally doesn't attract much attention. However, fortunately, the Gray Realm is sensible enough to temporarily halt its expansion; otherwise, the Heavenly Court might not be able to suppress it even if it wanted to." Zi Ling said.

"I'm afraid this is precisely the tacit understanding between the Heavenly Court and the Gray Realm: one does not expand excessively, and the other does not immediately suppress." Han Li sneered and said.

"Why is that?" Zi Ling asked.