Published: September 5, 2025
Chapter 607: Black-Clad Young Woman
Han Li didn’t have to search hard; the person who had spoken was seated cross-legged on a stone platform just over ten yards in front of him.
It was a young woman dressed in black clothes, her hair pinned up with a wooden hairpin.
The young woman was beautiful, but her complexion was pale. Her eyes shimmered with a flowing radiance, as if covered by a layer of translucent light shield. What shocked Han Li even more was that one of her sleeves was empty — she was missing an arm.
Before Han Li could speak, the young woman noticed he had released a magical artifact and let out a surprised, soft “eh.”
“So you’re not a junior in the qi refining stage, but a foundation formation stage cultivator. Tsk tsk, your qi concealing cultivation technique is quite good. I nearly got fooled,” the young woman chuckled softly, her eyes flickering with interest.
On her crossed knees lay the snow cloud fox, curled up comfortably on her legs, curiously observing Han Li with a lively intelligence.
“So this is where you seclude yourself for cultivation, senior. Han Li apologizes for the intrusion,” Han Li said, scanning her with his spiritual awareness, feeling a chill in his heart.
Where she sat seemed as transparent as air; his spiritual awareness passed through her lightly but detected no spiritual energy fluctuations.
This meant either she was hiding her cultivation with some exotic treasure, or her cultivation base was far beyond his. Judging from her tone and the methods she had just used, it seemed unlikely to be the former.
Han Li’s vigilance instantly heightened.
“Judging by your age, to have reached late foundation formation stage is truly rare,” the young woman said, gently stroking the snow cloud fox on her leg with her jade-white wrist.
“Senior, you flatter me. I was just lucky to reach this level. But may I ask your honorable name?” Han Li exhaled calmly and asked.
“There’s no need to say my name. You wouldn’t know it anyway. In fact, not many nascent soul stage cultivators of your generation would recognize me,” the young woman sighed softly.
Hearing this, Han Li was first stunned, then bitterness crept into his mouth.
Could this young woman really be some reclusive ancient freak?
A chill ran through his heart, but his face showed no sign of panic.
After all, with his cultivation improving, he had mastered more secret arts and no longer feared nascent soul stage cultivators as much as before. Especially after recently learning the “Blood Shadow Escape,” his courage had grown considerably.
If a fight broke out, he knew he couldn’t win, but he could escape — albeit at the cost of severe damage to his vital energy, requiring years of secluded cultivation to recover afterward.
That said, such a mysterious figure hiding right under the noses of the Three Sects must have some hidden motives. Maybe, like him, she was attracted by the dense spiritual energy here and had secretly entered this place.
With that in mind, Han Li’s eyes swept over the mountain stone chamber’s surroundings, and he was surprised.
This stone chamber sat alone in the mountains, with no other connecting doors or passages. Apart from the stone platform the young woman sat on, there was no furniture at all. The whole room was utterly empty, giving off a cold, desolate feeling.
Han Li also noticed the roughness of the stone chamber’s four walls. Unlike ordinary cultivator secluded mansions that were smooth and neat, cut by flying swords or magical artifacts, these walls looked as if they had been hacked out here and there with a giant axe, uneven and rugged.
These details caught Han Li’s eye, and a strange expression flashed across his face.
Seemingly sensing Han Li’s doubts, the young woman suddenly chuckled lightly.
“Since you’re puzzled, why not touch the stone walls around you? That may clear up your confusion.”
Han Li was moved by her words.
“Since senior says so, I won’t be rude,” he responded, curious. He had already scanned earlier with his spiritual awareness and found nothing unusual — the walls seemed no different than ordinary bluestone.