Upon hearing Han Li's words, Wang Juechu's heart sank. He felt a sudden unease creeping over him.
Yesterday, after receiving the news from Li Feiyu about Han Li's scheduled visit to Sunset Peak, some of the high-ranking members of the Seven Xuan Sect immediately proposed that they should act quickly to eliminate Han Li, considering him too dangerous and uncontrollable. However, this suggestion was met with strong opposition from another faction within the Sect. They argued that such an action was too risky, and that if they failed, it could provoke a strong retaliation from Han Li. They recommended talking to him first before making any decisions.
Although the reasons given were framed as caution, the real motivation behind the debate was clear to everyone: some people were simply eager to acquire Han Li's cultivation techniques and gain whatever benefits they could from him. Even the faction opposing immediate action likely had the same intentions, just employing subtler and less aggressive methods.
As the arguments grew louder and more heated, one of the remaining elder disciples, dressed in gray, intervened and silenced the room with a single chilling remark:
"You're not worried that killing this Han Li will provoke his elders to come after us?"
His words hit like a cold bucket of water, instantly bringing everyone back to their senses.
"Right, he's so young and so powerful—he must have elders of great power behind him. If we kill him, what if they come for us? We'll be wiped out before we even have a chance to defend ourselves!"
Once they realized that killing Han Li would likely lead to their own doom, those who had been advocating for his death quickly shifted their stance. Even a few greedy individuals who still tried to argue for action were overruled, and it was decided that they would approach Han Li more cautiously.
Now, when Wang Juechu heard Han Li's cryptic remark, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He thought that Han Li must have some sort of supernatural means of knowing about their internal disputes. This was likely a warning, a reminder that Han Li could read the situation and was aware of the hidden intentions within the Sect.
However, Wang Juechu had been the Sect Master for many years, and his experience and composure allowed him to quickly recover from the psychological pressure of Han Li's "Heavenly Eye Technique." He regained his calm, and after a moment, responded with a slightly forced smile:
"Why does Han Shenyi speak in such a way? The entire sect is grateful to you, and we have nothing but respect for you, Han Shenyi." Wang Juechu's tone was polite, but it also had a touch of probing curiosity.
Han Li's expression was calm, but his eyes gleamed with amusement as he coldly replied, "Oh? But I've heard rumors suggesting that someone might be planning to harm me."
Wang Juechu was startled for a moment, but when he saw that Han Li wasn't showing anger or hostility, he relaxed slightly. He reassured himself that Han Li was likely just responding to hearsay, and not truly aware of the specifics of the meeting from yesterday. Wang Juechu saw an opportunity to smooth things over.
"I believe you may have misunderstood. There were indeed a few individuals who were ungrateful and made improper suggestions. However, rest assured, those individuals have already been dealt with and are being closely monitored. Most of our sect's members are still deeply grateful to you, and they would never do anything that would harm you," Wang Juechu said, trying to appear righteous.
Han Li sneered inwardly at these words. Ever since revealing his strength and helping the Seven Xuan Sect survive their crisis, he had constantly reminded himself to be cautious. The old saying "When the bird is gone, the bow is hidden" and "Cross the river and tear down the bridge" were lessons he kept close to heart. No matter how much help he gave, there was no guarantee that others would be grateful. In the world of power and cultivation, people would easily betray those who could no longer serve their interests, even if they had received help before.
Han Li's reason for retreating to his cave and not meeting outsiders was partly to let these high-ranking figures cool off and reconsider their actions. The last thing he wanted was to be caught off-guard by their greed. He wanted to give them time to reflect, as their desire for gain could easily cloud their judgment.
When Li Feiyu had brought him the message about meeting with the high-ranking members, Han Li had already made up his mind not to attend the meeting on the designated day. Though his cultivation was far superior to ordinary martial artists, he knew that if the Sect used underhanded methods, there were still many ways they could kill him without direct confrontation.
This was why, to be safe, he had secretly arrived half a day earlier to meet Wang Juechu in private. Han Li had just tested the waters, and Wang Juechu's guilty reaction confirmed that the Sect had indeed considered taking action against him. But this was of little concern to Han Li. Regardless of whether they truly intended to kill him or were merely considering it, he wouldn't react with anger. After making his deal with Wang Juechu, Han Li planned to leave the Seven Xuan Sect behind and never return.
Without wasting further time, Han Li turned to Wang Juechu and spoke directly: "Let's stop wasting words. To be honest, after this meeting, I plan to leave the area, and very likely I won't return to the Caisha Mountain again. However, before I leave, I want to make a deal with you—a deal that would benefit both of us."
Wang Juechu was taken aback. He had not expected Han Li to mention leaving so suddenly, and now this mention of a deal piqued his interest. He thought, What kind of deal could Han Li possibly want to make with me?
Wang Juechu felt a knot in his chest, uncertain whether he was walking into something dangerous or if Han Li was being genuine.
Later, at the originally scheduled meeting time of noon, Han Li was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Wang Juechu appeared last, looking particularly alert.
He announced to the gathered leaders that there was no need to wait for Han Li any longer, as the latter had apparently left Caisha Mountain and was nowhere to be found. Wang Juechu speculated that Han Li had likely left Jingzhou, and perhaps even the entire country of Yue.
The room fell silent as the people exchanged looks of disbelief. They couldn't believe that Han Li had disappeared so suddenly. After all the buildup, they were left with nothing but confusion and a sense of lost opportunity.
"Well, now that he's gone, what are we still waiting for? We should get back to what we were doing!" the assembled figures silently thought to themselves.