"Please, Young Master Zhao, lend us your strength," Liu Heng said respectfully, bowing deeply.
The cold-faced youth stepped forward from the crowd and approached Han Yi, announcing his name: "Zhao Li of the Heaven's Will Sect."
A grave expression flickered in Zhao Li's eyes. He was deeply impressed by Han Yi's earlier Fire Attribute Spells, which had effortlessly destroyed a Mid-Grade Magic Artifact and then directly annihilated a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement. Such power left him deeply unsettled.
Although Zhao Li's skills surpassed Tang Xiangyu's, their cultivation realms were the same, making any advantage marginal at best.
The moment the words "Heaven's Will Sect" were uttered, the crowd gasped in astonishment.
Han Yi shared their surprise.
When he first transmigrated, he only knew the renowned "One Kingdom, Two Saints, Three Great Sects" of the Great Qian Immortal Kingdom. He had naively believed that these six major powers were the only ones with Nascent Soul Stage experts.
However, as he encountered more cultivators and his knowledge of the Cultivation World expanded, he realized the limitations of his initial perspective.
His understanding of Nascent Soul Stage sects had been flawed.
While it was true that the "One Kingdom, Two Saints, Three Great Sects" of the Great Qian Immortal Kingdom all boasted Nascent Soul Stage experts or higher, his initial perception had been incomplete.
The Three Great Sects referred to major powers that had once been led by Transformation God-level Great Powers. Although no new Transformation God experts had emerged recently, each sect still housed multiple Nascent Soul Stage cultivators and possessed the foundational strength to withstand even Transformation God-level threats.
This was the true meaning behind the term "Six Great Powers."
In Great Qian, beyond these six dominant forces, there were also several sects led by Nascent Soul Stage cultivators. Typically, these sects had only one or two Nascent Soul experts. While significantly weaker than the Six Great Powers, they were still far stronger than ordinary Golden Core Stage sects like the Profound Pill Sect.
There were seven such sects in Great Qian: two in Shu Prefecture and five in Qian Prefecture. The Heaven's Will Sect was one of them.
Han Yi clasped his hands in a respectful salute. "Han Yi of the Profound Pill Sect."
Before his voice could fade, Zhao Li moved.
Zhao Li tapped his forehead, and a phantom blade materialized above his head.
The blade was small, even smaller than Han Yi's Wind Demon Dagger. Though illusory, its razor-sharp aura forced Han Yi to concentrate fully.
This was the Heaven's Will Sect's signature cultivation method:
Heaven's Will as a Blade, capable of cleaving immortals and gods.
"Slash."
Zhao Li let out a soft shout. The illusory Heaven's Will Blade trembled slightly, then vanished, reappearing before Han Yi as if teleporting across the dozen meters between them. Han Yi felt the oncoming blade's aura, no less menacing than the halberd strike he had faced when rescuing Chu Jinmo in the Myriad Demon Mountain Range.
This time, however, he didn't have time to cast the Fire Shield Technique.
Propelled by Zhao Li's divine sense, the Heaven's Will Blade moved far faster than ordinary spells. In that split second, Han Yi's combat instincts took over.
He drew his sword.
The black longsword trembled slightly, as if eager for its first battle.
The Chengying Sword was a top-tier Magic Artifact among High-Grade ones.
Clang!
The illusory blade faltered, suspended in mid-air, while Han Yi stumbled back three steps.
"Impressive," he muttered.
The blade's glow had dimmed slightly, but its menacing aura remained sharp.
Still, after this exchange, Han Yi had a clearer understanding of his opponent's strength.
When Zhao Li, the Heaven's Will Sect cultivator, had unleashed the Heaven's Will Blade, Han Yi had finally discerned the true nature of the mysterious aura emanating from him. His cultivation realm was merely at the initial stage of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement.
The power of Zhao Li's earlier strike was already at the level of a seasoned Qi Refining cultivator, even slightly surpassing Liu Heng and the deceased Tang Xiangyu.
Like Han Yi, Zhao Li was a cultivator capable of battling opponents beyond his own cultivation realm, though he fell slightly short of the halberd-wielding cultivator Han Yi had encountered in the Myriad Demon Mountain Range.
Of course, the halberd-wielder was a Spirit-Body Dual Cultivator, while Zhao Li's Heaven's Will Sect cultivation technique was equally unique, making direct comparisons difficult.
Han Yi understood the situation perfectly, his mind now fully focused. He knew that victory would be impossible without unleashing his full power. The Chengying Sword in his hand trembled, ready to transform into its Sword Control Technique form.
Just then, Zhao Li, the Heaven's Will Sect cultivator, sighed deeply. The illusory blade hovering between them flickered briefly before dissolving into nothingness.
"My master told me that after descending the mountain, I would encounter a cultivator whose cultivation realm was lower than mine, yet whose strength surpassed my own. I didn't believe him at first, but now I see that you are the one he spoke of."
"This... is Heaven's Will."
"Such is Heaven's Will, Fellow Daoist Han. Zhao Li humbly concedes defeat."
With that, Zhao Li turned to Liu Heng, who stood dumbfounded nearby, and bowed respectfully. "Patriarch Liu, my apologies. Heaven's Will compelled me to act, yet Heaven's Will has decreed my defeat. Since Heaven's Will is so, what purpose remains in prolonging this futile struggle?"
"Zhao Li takes his leave." Without another word, the cold-faced youth turned abruptly and strode out of the hall, crossing the threshold and vanishing from sight.
From the moment the blade shadow dissipated to Zhao Li's departure, no one in the hall could react, not even Han Yi or the elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator seated to the side.
A slight twitch flickered at the corner of Han Yi's mouth.
Only after Zhao Li had left did he finally realize the truth: his opponent was no ordinary cultivator, but a member of the Heaven's Will Sect.
In the distant antiquity, before the founding of the Great Qian Immortal Kingdom, this sect bore a more mysterious name: the Destiny Sect, claiming the ability to transcend fate itself and glimpse the future—a feat beyond even the reach of true Immortals.
But as a towering tree attracts the storm, the Destiny Sect faced calamity and splintered. The surviving factions, weary of probing fate and defying destiny, chose instead to align themselves with Heaven's Will, thus renaming themselves the Heaven's Will Sect.
The Heaven's Will Sect was small, with only about a hundred cultivators in total. These cultivators were considered peculiar within the Cultivation World, known for their fervent belief in Heaven's Will. They were mysterious and sometimes behaved like charlatans, making them difficult to understand.
Perhaps "peculiar" wasn't the right word. "Eccentric" might be more fitting.
Zhao Li was the first Heaven's Will Sect cultivator Han Yi had ever encountered, and at first, he didn't connect Zhao Li's behavior with the sect's reputation for eccentricity.
But now, as Zhao Li spouted a seemingly self-consistent theory about Heaven's Will, Han Yi finally understood the sect's description of the Heaven's Will Sect: "Everything they do follows Heaven's Will. What seems unexpected is actually within the scope of Heaven's Will."
In the arena, Zhao Li's departure immediately shifted all eyes to Liu Heng.
Liu Heng gritted his teeth, nearly cracking them. He had thought hiring a cultivator from a powerful sect would guarantee victory, but he had never anticipated such eccentricity. Before this moment, Zhao Li had acted completely normal.
Now, however, there was no turning back. Attempting to fight again would only result in severe injury or death. Besides, Liu Heng still had hidden cards to play and saw no need to rush.
"Let's go," Liu Heng said, cupping his hands in a respectful bow toward the elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator from Great Qian's Imperial Observatory, who was seated nearby. Without hesitation, he turned and left, followed closely by the other members of the Liu Clan.
He still had other plans in mind and saw no need to rush.
The outcome had already been decided.
The elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator from Great Qian's Imperial Observatory slowly rose to his feet.
"The Arbitration Council's verdict is clear. The Spirit Field remains under the Luo Clan's ownership."
With that, he slowly departed, casting a deep, lingering glance at Han Yi before leaving without another word.
The arbitration battle had come to an end.
The Luo Clan erupted in jubilation.
Han Yi didn't linger. The next day, he left Daofu City ahead of Luo Yunzhou, heading for the nearest major city, Tong City.
There, he planned to board a transportation immortal ship bound for Nanyang County, to the city closest to the Profound Pill Sect. This would allow him to return to the Sect as quickly as possible.
Before his departure, Luo Yunzhou presented Han Yi with a Storage Pouch as a token of gratitude for his assistance. It contained not only ten years' worth of profits from the Luo Clan's Spirit Field but also several bottles of distinctive Spirit Wine.
Han Yi scanned the Storage Pouch with his divine sense. He wasn't particularly interested in the ten years' yield from the Spirit Field; his attention was drawn to the Spirit Wines.
"You're thoughtful," Han Yi said, accepting the pouch.
Luo Yunzhou looked apologetic. "Junior Brother Han, I had hoped to return with you, but the Luo Clan has only just stabilized, and I need to stay in Daofu City for another three months. It's a pity you're eager to leave so soon; otherwise, Senior Brother would have shown you all the sights of Daofu City."
Han Yi waved dismissively. "It's fine. Prioritize your clan's affairs. I'll get back to the Sect faster on my own."
The next day, Han Yi quietly slipped away without waiting for Luo Yunzhou to see him off.
Walking through the streets of Daofu City, he recalled his first life-threatening encounter back in Mengshan City shortly after his transmigration.
That near-fatal ambush had given him a brutal introduction to the ruthlessness of the Cultivation World, cementing his cautious, low-profile attitude. It had also yielded a set of daggers, which later, after mastering the Sword Control Technique, became the foundation of his unique combat style.
Such were the twists of fate. Every encounter, no matter how small, shaped the course of one's life.
Lost in thought, Han Yi left Daofu City and walked several miles until he reached a dense mountain forest. Suddenly, a prickling sensation ran down his spine, and he stopped.
The moment he halted, a radiant Spirit Light rippled outward from his position, erasing everything within a hundred-meter radius. The forests flanking the road vanished into thin air, and the path behind him disappeared entirely.
Han Yi's body tensed abruptly.
"I walked right into this without realizing it."
"This is... a Formation Art."
Han Yi was no stranger to formations. He had a Spirit-Locking Formation in his backyard, had witnessed a Spirit Concealing Formation in the Myriad Demon Mountain Range, and had even faced Formation Master Li Yi's lethal sword formation during his battle with the Giant Tiger.
These experiences had made him extremely wary of formations, which, among the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation, possessed offensive power rivaling that of Spirit Talismans.
As the formation materialized, thirteen figures emerged from their hidden positions.
Han Yi's expression remained calm, but his Mana surged through his body. He prepared to unleash every technique at his disposal. The enemy's use of a formation coupled with thirteen ambushers signaled a swift, decisive strike. He wasn't foolish enough to think they'd waste time with pleasantries.
The Chengying Sword, the Wind Demon Dagger, the Yin Thunder Talisman, Divine Swiftness, the Body Protection Talisman, and even the Golden Light Shuttle—a Top-Grade Magic Artifact only partially refined—were all at his disposal. If danger arose, he would unleash their full power upon his enemies.
"You ruined the Liu Clan's plans! You deserve to die!" A voice filled with bitter resentment rang out from among the thirteen figures.