Chapter 634: An Unusual Occurrence

Just then, within the secret chamber, wind stirred without cause, and black demonic qi roiled and surged.

At its center, two tiny whirlpools materialized out of thin air, spinning violently before transforming into two spiral black pillars as thick as index fingers, shooting straight toward Han Li's eyes.

At that moment, a bright blue light shone in Han Li's eyes, resembling the moon reflected in a well, and as the black pillars surged in, they rippled and became blurred.

His eyes seemed like bottomless pits, continuously absorbing the influx of demonic qi, soon becoming hazy and deep as an abyss, impossible to see through.

At the same time, he withdrew his hands before his chest, formed a strange hand seal, and then quietly held it before him, making no further moves.

Rings of purple-gold light patterns emerged layer by layer from beneath him, expanding outward.

…

Time passed slowly, and several years went by in a flash.

The cave dwelling's secret chamber was silent. Han Li, clad in blue robes, sat cross-legged in meditation, still maintaining the posture of holding the hand seal.

The purple-gold scales on his body had completely disappeared, and the demonic qi that had enveloped him was gone, leaving only the rings of purple-gold light patterns beneath him, still expanding and spreading like water ripples.

At that moment, he suddenly clapped his hands together and let out a soft shout.

His eyelids opened, and from his pupils instantly burst forth two solid beams of purple-gold light, illuminating the entire secret chamber like two bright lamps.

Every speck of dust in the chamber became crystal clear, and even the many restrictions he had set up earlier were fully visible.

Han Li raised his head slightly and looked out through the hole in the ceiling. He saw white clouds drifting in the vast sky above, and the tail feathers of wild geese were clearly visible before his eyes. Even the subtle air currents and spiritual energy changes stirred by their wings were distinctly discernible.

It seemed that all things on earth could not hide from his dark pupils.

Such was the initial achievement of the Netherworld Demon Eyes, but what other divine abilities they possessed remained uncertain, only to be revealed in special circumstances in the future.

However, the increase in his eyesight was obvious, naturally many times stronger than his previous Brightclarity Spirit Eyes.

A moment later, all the strange phenomena in Han Li's eyes began to disappear. The purple radiance gradually faded, and his eyes regained their silver-gray luster.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He raised a hand and wiped it across his face. The "Dragon Five" mask flickered briefly and transformed into the face of an ordinary young man with a somewhat pale complexion, while his silver-gray eyes turned jet-black.

Han Li stood up, stretched his limbs, opened the secret chamber door, and walked out.

This seclusion had not been particularly short. During this time, both Jingyang Superior and the Reclining Flame Immortal had come by, but upon being informed by the puppet that Han Li was in seclusion, they did not disturb him and left on their own.

Thus, after emerging from seclusion, Han Li planned to visit them first.

In Wild Crane Valley, it was the depth of winter. A heavy snowfall had blanketed the mountain forest in white, covering both the pine groves and bamboo seas with a thick coat of snow. The snow on the stone paths in the woods was half a foot deep.

Leaving his cave dwelling, Han Li did not ride the wind but instead walked, stepping on the creaking snow while admiring the rime ice and snow scenery along the path, heading deeper into the valley.

Halfway there, he suddenly noticed that deep in the mountain forest, some roof corners and eaves were faintly visible—things that had not been there before. They had clearly been built during his seclusion.

Just as he was wondering about this, a figure emerged from behind a large boulder on the mountain path.

Though the snow had already stopped, the figure still held a dark red oil-paper umbrella, walking toward the valley exit.

As they drew near, Han Li made out the other's face: an extremely handsome young man, seemingly wearing powder and rouge, which, set off by his red cloak, made him appear even paler.

As they passed each other, the young man smiled slightly at Han Li and gave a slight bow, but said nothing.

Han Li returned the bow lightly, also without speaking.

After passing each other, they each went their own way, leaving behind four rows of footprints that gradually faded into the distance.

"Could he be a newcomer to the valley?" Han Li wondered, shaking his head as he continued deeper into the valley.

After walking several li along the mountain path, he finally reached the cliff where the Reclining Flame Immortal's cave dwelling was located. Just then, he saw a figure soaring up from the cliff, about to head into the valley.

"Daoist Reclining Flame, where are you off to in such a hurry?" Han Li called out hastily.

The Reclining Flame Immortal, who had just taken off, paused at the sound, turned around, and landed back down.

"Daoist Li, you've emerged from seclusion?" The Reclining Flame Immortal's face broke into a smile as he spoke.

"I just left seclusion today and learned that you had come looking for me before, so here I am visiting you again," Han Li said with a smile.

"When I came before, you were in seclusion, so I didn't disturb you," Re Huo Zun Zhe nodded and said.

"Oh, is there something you need?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing major, just a word of caution: try not to use the Fire Leaf Sect Elder Token to enter the inner city of Jukun for the time being," Re Huo Zun Zhe said after a moment's hesitation.

"And why is that?" Han Li was taken aback and asked.

"In the past two hundred years, things have been somewhat unsettled in Jukun City. The Black Mountain Immortal Palace has been tightening checks on people entering the city. I'm afraid using it might bring you trouble instead," Re Huo Zun Zhe sighed and said.

"What? Has something major happened in the city?" Han Li instinctively thought of what happened after the auction and wondered if there were further developments, so he quickly asked.

"It's a long story. Today we happen to have a gathering. Since you're out of seclusion, you can come with me and we'll talk then," Re Huo Zun Zhe frowned slightly, then broke into a smile and said.

"Alright," Han Li had no choice but to suppress his curiosity for now and nodded.

The two of them rose into the air with a flash of遁光 and flew off together, soon arriving at a wide cliff deep within the valley.

The cliff was on the right wall of the deep valley, jutting out dozens of zhang from the mountain. On it stood an octagonal pavilion, also covered in snow with a thick layer piled on top.

Inside the pavilion was a stone table, around which three figures were already seated: Yu Ziqi, Mo Wuxue, and Duan Yuzai. Upon seeing Han Li and the other arrive, they all stood up to greet them.

After exchanging greetings, Duan Yuzai looked at Han Li and asked, "Daoist Li, when did you come out of seclusion?"

"Just today, as luck would have it, coinciding with your gathering," Han Li said with a smile.

"Earlier, Daoist Jingyang said..."

Before Yu Ziqi could finish, Mo Wuxue tugged at his sleeve to stop him. He was startled at first, then realized his slip of the tongue and showed a hint of guilt.

"No harm done, why can't it be mentioned? The elixir I refined earlier indeed didn't achieve the desired effect. I'll have to find another formula later," Han Li said with a carefree smile, unconcerned.

"Daoist Li has an extraordinary temperament; I was overthinking it," Mo Wuxue said with a slight bow and a smile.

"Fairy Mo is thoughtful and considerate of me; I should be the one thanking you. By the way, where is Daoist Jingyang?" Han Li returned the bow and said.

"Daoist Jingyang hasn't returned to the valley for over a hundred years. He said he had some matters to attend to," Yu Ziqi replied.

Han Li guessed it was probably some business at the Hundred Creations Mountain, so he didn't pursue the topic further. Instead, he said, "Then it's his loss. Today I happen to have brought some 'Red Mulberry Wine.' Shall we have a few cups?"

At these words, everyone's eyes lit up and smiles appeared on their faces.

They all sat down again. Han Li took out a wine jar and cups and poured for everyone. Glancing at Yu Ziqi, he noticed that today, for the first time, he wasn't playing the zither, and Duan Yuzai hadn't set up the chessboard either. He couldn't help but frown.

"By the way, earlier I only heard half of what Daoist Re Huo said. Can you tell me now what exactly happened?" Han Li looked at Re Huo Zun Zhe and asked.

"Daoist Li must have noticed too, right? Recently, many new residents have moved into Wild Crane Valley," Re Huo Zun Zhe said, raising his cup to his lips but not drinking.

"On my way here, I seemed to have encountered a young man holding an oil-paper umbrella and wearing a red cloak. He must be one of the newcomers, right?" Han Li nodded and asked.

"That fellow is Feng Qingyuan, just one of the new residents. In the past two hundred years, fifty or sixty such newcomers have moved into the various valleys of Xianyun Mountain," Duan Yuzai said.

"That many?" Han Li exclaimed in surprise.

Xianyun Mountain was free for all to come and go, but in the past, at most no more than ten外来 cultivators would settle in the entire mountain over two hundred years, sometimes only one or two. After all, few people would abandon the path of immortality to cultivate their minds.

So this situation was indeed unusual.

"If it were just more newcomers, it wouldn't be a big deal. Everyone follows the rules here and doesn't interfere with each other. But in recent years, strange things have been happening in the mountain, with people disappearing from various valleys one after another," Mo Wuxue took over the conversation and said.

"Last month, in the neighboring Flower Moon Valley, that couple of cultivators had their cave dwelling destroyed overnight and vanished without a trace," Yu Ziqi added.

Han Li had met that couple once and knew they were both early-stage True Immortals, usually quite affectionate in public. So he asked:

"Did the missing persons share any common traits?"

"From high-level Golden Immortals to low-level Nascent Soul cultivators, from stunningly beautiful female cultivators to decrepit old men... there doesn't seem to be any pattern," Yu Ziqi replied after a moment's thought.

"Has no one investigated?" Han Li frowned and asked.

"How could they? Xianyun Mountain is full of carefree hermits who mind their own business and never form factions. There's no unified organization. Who would investigate? Even if someone did, they'd do it secretly. Besides, the missing include men and women, old and young, and their backgrounds are unknown, so it's impossible to tell if they're connected," Re Huo Zun Zhe shook his head and said with a bitter smile.

"Indeed, who knows if these people simply left the valley? But in the past, even if someone left, they would inform their friends in the valley. Such silent and mass departures have never happened before," Yu Ziqi continued.