Moments later, Han Yi left the Nine Dragons Merchant Guild, his Storage Pouch now filled with pill refinement materials, Spirit Sand, Spirit Talismans, and other miscellaneous items.
As he exited the guild, Han Yi didn't glance back. His expression remained calm, his pace and stride unchanged, betraying no sign of urgency.
He passed through the market uneventfully. Only after walking a considerable distance did Han Yi remove his mask.
Even then, he made no deliberate effort to look behind him. With a composed expression, he descended Red Sun Peak, returned to Azure Dragon Peak, and only after stepping into his courtyard and activating the protective Formation Arts did he finally exhale in relief.
Throughout his journey, though he appeared calm, his heart had been pounding with anxiety, fearing a Foundation Establishment Stage Elder might suddenly descend from the sky and seize him.
Looks like I was overthinking things, he thought. But no harm in being prepared.
I wonder if those three Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators will report what I wrote on the Talisman Paper?
Enough. This matter ends here. I've done all I could. If it fails to serve as a warning, it's simply fate.
Han Yi attempted to meditate, but restlessness kept him from settling into deep contemplation. He abandoned the attempt and went to his backyard to practice the Sword Control Technique.
Having advanced to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, he needed to transition from the Fire Pill Profound Art—his foundational cultivation technique—to a more advanced one. However, he hadn't yet decided which technique to adopt, and with his mind ill-suited for meditation, he instead focused on refining his sword control.
Moving forward, his plan was to advance his Cultivation Realm and various skills in tandem, exchanging time for accumulated proficiency and achieving steady progress through diligent practice.
Meanwhile, two hours earlier, as Han Yi's dagger pierced the central tower of Red Sun Market, a middle-aged cultivator meditating within instantly snapped out of his trance. With a swift movement, he effortlessly caught the dagger in his hand.
"Hmm?"
At the other end of the tower, an elderly cultivator stationed there felt his aura surge. "Who dares challenge Red Sun Market?" he bellowed.
Before his voice had faded, he had already materialized beside the middle-aged man. The younger cultivator held an ordinary mortal dagger in one hand and a Spirit Talisman that showed no immediate signs of power in the other, his expression grave.
"Elder Lu, what is this?"
Lu Anping, the middle-aged cultivator, didn't answer. Instead, he tightened his grip on the Spirit Talisman, shot out of the tower with a burst of power, and soared into the sky. Outside, the bustling crowd froze in shock. To avoid misunderstandings, they cautiously backed away instead of panicking.
The elderly cultivator and a third Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator stationed in the tower immediately followed, their auras blazing as they scanned the surroundings.
"Should we activate the Immortal Surveillance Mirror to apprehend the intruder?" the elderly cultivator suggested, noticing Lu Anping's grim expression.
The Immortal Surveillance Mirror, a top-grade magic artifact installed within the tower, monitored the entire market and possessed the ability to record both audio and video.
Middle-aged cultivator Lu Anping shook his head. "No need. If this person is acting so covertly, it's clearly to conceal their identity. Besides, the most crucial thing right now is the information they delivered."
Lu Anping returned to the tower, suppressed his aura, and handed the Spirit Talisman to the two fellow sect elders on duty. His expression turned grave as he focused his divine sense intently on the two elders beside him.
He breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw the two elders read the talisman and their faces immediately mirrored his own serious expression. Had either of them hesitated or voiced objections, Lu Anping would have added them to his list of suspects.
"This matter must be reported to the Sect Leader."
"Agreed."
"Let's all go together."
"As it should be."
"Let's move."
The three elders quietly left the tower and headed straight for Profound Pill Peak. The Spirit Talisman detailed Han Yi's discovery of a Blood God Sect spy and his suspicion that a Foundation Establishment Stage Elder within their own sect might also be connected to the Blood God Sect. This struck at the very foundation of the Profound Pill Sect's survival. Regardless of its truth, such a claim could not be ignored.
If this turned out to be a false accusation, a deliberate frame-up, that would be the best possible outcome—just a false alarm. We could simply activate the Immortal Surveillance Mirror to apprehend the troublemakers and dismiss the whole thing as a farce.
But if the information in the report was true, the consequences could range from minor to catastrophic.
Half an hour after the Three Elders ascended Profound Pill Peak, three Golden Core Stage cultivators emerged from its depths. One headed straight for Vermilion Bird Peak, while the other two strode toward Azure Dragon Peak.
Simultaneously, a dense pillar of spirit light erupted from Profound Pill Peak, radiating outward to envelop the entire Profound Pill Sect.
This was a Formation Art—the Celestial Cycle Profound Astral Formation, a Fourth-Tier Formation activated from the peak's core nexus, enveloping the entire sect.
Next, the protective formations guarding the Nine Inner Peaks—Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Zhurong, Golden Court, Crimson Sun, Overturning Sea, and Sword Pill—flashed to life in unison.
Over a hundred Outer Peaks joined the display, their spirit lights flickering and vying for prominence.
Han Yi, who had been practicing the Sword Control Technique in the backyard, suddenly sensed something amiss. He looked up toward Azure Dragon Palace and saw a white-browed elder materialize in the sky above it. The elder sat cross-legged in mid-air, manipulating starlight that cascaded down like a celestial rain, enveloping Azure Dragon Peak.
Han Yi's heart skipped a beat.
Such a massive display of formation arts?
Could this have been triggered by the report I submitted earlier?
Han Yi wasn't entirely certain what to make of it.
What surprised him most was how quickly the grand display of Formation Arts had subsided. In less than fifteen minutes, all the Inner and Outer Peak Formations had calmed down and returned to their original state.
"It's over already?" Han Yi muttered, then shrugged it off and resumed his cultivation.
It wasn't that he didn't care, but he knew that worrying without power was useless. Cultivation was far more productive. Only by strengthening his own power could he cope with any unforeseen events.
Three days later, Han Yi left his courtyard and headed to the Red Sun Market to gather information.
"I heard there was an anomaly in the spirit veins of the Profound Pill Mountain Range," someone said. "The Sect Leader and the Supreme Elders conducted a spirit vein detection operation. It was over in less than fifteen minutes."
"I also heard that the main spirit vein beneath the Profound Pill Mountain Range is at the peak of the Fourth Tier, nearly reaching the Fifth Tier. If something were to happen to it, it would be a catastrophe. No wonder the Supreme Elders were so tense."
He Fangwei mentioned this, but Han Yi didn't press for details. Yet a seed of doubt had been planted in his mind. A spirit vein anomaly occurring precisely when he had reported the Blood God Sect's internal traitor? The timing seemed too convenient.
Unwilling to draw suspicion with too many questions, Han Yi symbolically purchased some talisman paper and crafting materials from the Nine Dragons Merchant Guild. Then he left Red Sun Peak, descended to Azure Dragon Peak, and made his way back to his courtyard.
As Han Yi approached his courtyard, he suddenly froze. Standing before the gate, with his hands clasped behind his back, was a middle-aged man.
Han Yi's shock stemmed from the man's identity.
He quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands in a respectful bow. "Disciple Han Yi pays his respects to Sect Leader Yuan Shun."
Indeed, it was Yuan Shun, the current Sect Leader of the Profound Pill Sect, whom Han Yi had only glimpsed twice from afar.
At that moment, Yuan Shun appeared entirely ordinary, his aura as a peak Golden Core Stage cultivator completely concealed. Yet Han Yi's inner tension reached its peak.
This was the highest authority and most powerful figure in the Profound Pill Sect—a peak Golden Core Stage cultivator and one of the sect's foundational pillars.
And now, he stood before Han Yi's courtyard gate.
Countless thoughts raced through Han Yi's mind in that fleeting instant.
Yet none of them carried a trace of fear.
He had no reason to be afraid. Since transmigrating, all his actions had strictly adhered to sect regulations. When he discovered an internal traitor, he had sought to expose them rather than conceal the truth.
In fact, he felt the sect should be awarding him for his loyalty, perhaps with spirit stones as compensation.
Seeing Han Yi's bow, Yuan Shun smiled warmly. "Han Yi, there's no need to be nervous."
"I've simply come to ask you a few questions."