Chapter 642: Not Joining the Fray

Although Han Li recognized the two people before him as Shi Chuankong and the轮回殿's notorious thief "Fox Three," he did not relax his vigilance in the slightest.

However, he did not speak again, instead turning his gaze to Re Huo Zunzhe, for at this moment Shi Chuankong and Fox Three's attention was also focused on Re Huo Zunzhe.

"Who are you?" Re Huo Zunzhe's body flickered with light, his gaze sweeping over the silver fox before settling on Shi Chuankong as he asked.

"I am Shi Chuankong. I suppose you, Daoist friend, have never heard of me. But it doesn't matter; all Re Huo Daoist friend needs to know is why we are looking for you," Shi Chuankong said with a slight bow and a smile.

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Han Li, a hint of doubt flashing deep in his eyes.

"It's you... At the Yukun Auction that day, you certainly didn't hold back in bidding against me. Your resources are quite abundant," the black-robed youth said with a raised eyebrow and a snicker.

"The renowned 'Silver Fox' thief wouldn't be bothered by such a small matter, would he?" Han Li said with a calm smile.

"Haha, you worry too much, Daoist friend. We are here today to find Re Huo Daoist friend," Fox Three said with a laugh.

"What business do you have with me?" Re Huo Zunzhe's eyes grew more wary, and he unconsciously moved a bit closer to Han Li.

"To an open man, no need for secret words. I think you know very well in your heart why we are looking for you, Re Huo Daoist friend," Shi Chuankong said, his gaze returning to Re Huo Zunzhe.

Hearing this, Han Li's gaze shifted slightly toward Re Huo Zunzhe, a hint of doubt arising in his mind.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Since we have no past grievances, it's best we each go our own way. Fellow Daoist Li, let's go..." Re Huo Zunzhe said, his expression unchanged.

"Daoist friend Huo, after all these years, don't you want to go back and see the sect?" Fox Three suddenly raised his voice.

"You... even if I go back, what can I do? It's nothing but ruins. I just don't understand—past events are like smoke; why can't you let them go?" Re Huo Zunzhe paused, then said after a long silence.

Although Han Li was completely in the dark, he could see that the two before him meant no harm, so he put away the longsword in his hand.

"Daoist friend Huo, it's not that we can't let go, but the Heavenly Court is still in hot pursuit. Why was the Huoye Sect under surveillance by the Immortal Palace? Why has Xianyun Mountain fallen into chaos? I think you know better than we do," Fox Three said with a sigh.

Han Li's heart stirred again upon hearing this.

No wonder Re Huo Zunzhe had repeatedly warned him not to use his identity as an elder of the Huoye Sect; there seemed to be many hidden circumstances.

Although he had suspected it earlier, it was now basically confirmed that the attack on Yu Ziqi had been because of him.

"Who exactly are you? Please tell me," Re Huo Zunzhe said after a long silence.

"To be honest with you, Re Huo Daoist friend, I am from the Reincarnation Hall, and this Daoist friend Shi is from the Demon Realm," Fox Three said with a wink.

"What? Have the demons also chosen to ally with your Reincarnation Hall?" Re Huo Zunzhe asked in surprise.

"You think too much, Re Huo Daoist friend. I, Shi Chuankong, am but an insignificant nobody; how could I represent the entire demon race? The reason I am here today is, first, at Fox Three's invitation, and second, out of curiosity about what happened to the True Word Sect back then. I wonder if Re Huo Daoist friend could enlighten me?" Shi Chuankong said with a smile.

At the mention of "True Word Sect," Han Li's face showed no reaction, but his heart was shaken.

He was no stranger to this sect, not only because the "True Word Wheel Scripture" he cultivated originated from it, but also because his previous soul travel had taken him to this very sect.

Moreover, Shi Chuankong's words seemed too casual. How could someone who possessed one of the three supreme laws, the Law of Space, be merely an insignificant nobody in the demon race?

"When the True Word Sect was destroyed back then, I happened to be out on a mission under my master's orders and was trapped in a perilous ruin. By the time I finally escaped, nearly a thousand years had passed. Unfortunately, by then the remaining elders and disciples of the sect had all become wanted criminals of the Heavenly Court, so I had to change my appearance and flee to a distant land. I, too, very much want to know the reason for the sect's upheaval. Otherwise, I wouldn't have risked coming to the Black Mountain Immortal Domain and establishing the Huoye Sect to divert attention," Re Huo Zunzhe said with a sigh.

"So, Daoist friend Re Huo has been living in seclusion on Xianyun Mountain all along, also to hide his tracks?" Han Li suddenly asked.

"It's not entirely so. The reason I spent most of my time in Wild Crane Valley was also because I got along well with Fellow Daoist Duan and the others, and we had harmonious relations. I never expected that even Leisurely Cloud Mountain would be dragged down by me in the end." A hint of guilt appeared in the eyes of the Venerable Flame Heat as he spoke.

"There's no need for you to blame yourself, Fellow Daoist. The Immortal Palace has wanted to make a move on Leisurely Cloud Mountain for quite some time now, and half the reason was to purge the forces we of the Reincarnation Hall had hidden there." Hu San chuckled and said.

"There's something I don't understand. Earlier, a fellow daoist from our valley was attacked and severely injured. Was it the work of your Reincarnation Hall or the Immortal Palace?" Han Li changed the subject and asked.

"You mean the one at Clear Wind Cliff? The one who injured him was a fellow holding a red umbrella, dressed all effeminately. He didn't look like someone from Black Mountain Immortal Palace, but rather like one of the Supervision Immortal Envoys' underlings." Hu San looked at Han Li and said.

"So, the one who saved him was you?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked.

"I saw that the kid had some backbone, preferring to self-destruct his sea of consciousness rather than be subjected to soul search, so I gave him a hand. But I didn't expect you all could actually bring him back to life. Admirable, admirable." Hu San rubbed his chin and said with a tone of admiration.

"Hu San, you're straying a bit too far. Let's get the main business straight first." At this moment, Shi Chuankong suddenly cleared his throat and reminded him.

"Heh, old habits die hard. So, what do you say, Fellow Daoist Rehuo? Since the Heavenly Court has already found your trail, you won't be able to live in peace from now on. Why not form an alliance with us and go search for the ruins of the True Word Sect together? Afterwards, I can recommend you to join our Reincarnation Hall and be under its protection. What do you think?" Hu San gave a dry laugh and asked again.

The Venerable Flame Heat hesitated upon hearing this and did not agree immediately.

"The ruins of the True Word Sect are certainly hard to find, but it's not as if we absolutely need your alliance. If there are real difficulties, we won't force you. But the people from the Heavenly Court might not be as easy to deal with as we are." Shi Chuankong smiled and said.

"What Fellow Daoist Shi says is true. The people from the Heavenly Court will definitely pursue you relentlessly. Next time, you might not be able to escape. Don't you also want to unravel the mystery of the True Word Sect's destruction back then? Our cooperation would definitely be mutually beneficial." Hu San continued to persuade.

Han Li watched the two of them take turns persuading, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, and sneered inwardly, but he didn't say anything more, since this matter had nothing to do with him.

"To put it bluntly, you don't want the 'Great Five Elements Illusory World Technique' left by Patriarch Miluo to fall into the hands of the Heavenly Court, do you?" When Hu San said this, it was like a heavy hammer striking the Venerable Flame Heat's heart, causing his pupils to dilate.

"No need to be so surprised. The Reincarnation Hall is quite well-informed about all kinds of news. One of the main reasons the Heavenly Court has always wanted to enter the ruins of the True Word Sect is precisely this 'Great Five Elements Illusory World Technique.'" Shi Chuankong said with a smile.

"And what about you? Isn't your goal also this technique?" The Venerable Flame Heat sneered and asked.

"Rather than saying our goal is to obtain this technique, it's better to say we want to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Heavenly Court. Regardless, on this level, our interests are aligned." Hu San didn't deny it and said with a smile.

"Fine! I agree to form an alliance with you." The Venerable Flame Heat was silent for a long time before nodding and saying.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Rehuo, that's a wise decision. I like talking to smart people." Hu San clapped his hands and said.

"Wait! For me to join, you must agree to one condition." At this moment, the Venerable Flame Heat suddenly said.

"Please speak, Fellow Daoist." Hu San raised an eyebrow and said.

"Fellow Daoist Li here saved me by killing people from the Immortal Palace, and has already been dragged into this by me. So this operation must include him." The Venerable Flame Heat glanced at Han Li and said.

"Well..." Hu San hesitated upon hearing this.

"Hu San, I think it's fine. From our observations over the past few days, we can see that this Fellow Daoist Li is not from the Heavenly Court. There's no harm in inviting him to join." Shi Chuankong suddenly spoke up.

"Since Brother Shi says so, then let's invite Fellow Daoist Li to come with us." Hu San nodded and said.

"Thank you for the kind offer, everyone. I, Li, saved Fellow Daoist Rehuo earlier only out of our acquaintance and to repay the favor of him recommending me as an elder of the sect. I have little interest in the ruins of the True Word Sect you mentioned. I'll pass on this excitement." Han Li suddenly cupped his hands and said.

The other three were all surprised by this.

"Fellow Daoist Li, you may not yet know how vast the power of the Reincarnation Hall is. If you travel with them, you can use their resources and strength to avoid many troubles, and even leave the Black Mountain Immortal Domain safely. Even if you don't want to go to the True Word Sect ruins, you can follow them to a safe place and then part ways." The Venerable Flame Heat showed a hint of anxiety and transmitted his voice to Han Li.

"Fellow Daoist Rehuo, you know that I am currently troubled by the Calamity of Fiendish Decline. Dealing with this alone is already exhausting me, and I really don't have the energy to handle other matters. The pursuit by the Immortal Palace is mainly focused on you. As long as I am careful, I won't run into much trouble. I won't participate in this matter." Han Li did not use voice transmission but spoke directly.

He was naturally well aware of the strength of the Reincarnation Hall, and he could tell that the Venerable Flame Heat truly meant well for him.

However, his current thoughts were all focused on how to eliminate the fiendish energy, and he had little interest in exploring the ruins. It was only because it was the ruins of the True Word Sect that he hesitated a bit. But after further consideration, he decided not to wade into this muddy water.