Chapter 408 312: Contact, Part 2

In other words, he had to return to the Great Demon Palace one more time.

But this time, it likely wouldn't go as smoothly as before.

Han Yuan had a premonition.

This time, when he returned to the Great Demon Palace, Situ Hui would definitely show his hand.

The man probably didn't want him to break through to the Divine Sea Realm.

Once that happened, Situ Hui would no longer be able to control him.

But for the subsequent levels of the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Skill, he had no choice but to go.

Of course, Han Yuan had his own trump cards.

Namely, the three Sword Talismans Li Baozhou had left him.

So far, Li Baozhou was by far the strongest person he had ever met.

The Sword Talismans he had left behind should be enough to pose a threat to Situ Hui.

'Situ Hui... I'm eager to see who will come out on top this time.'

Han Yuan sneered.

Just then,

Han Yuan suddenly felt something tucked in his clothes start to heat up.

Letting out a soft exclamation of surprise, he pulled an object from his robes.

It was half a Jade Pendant.

This was the very Jade Pendant Li Baozhou had given him when he left.

'Is he coming back for the box?'

Han Yuan's eyes flickered.

He had kept the box hidden ever since he received it.

So much time had passed without the box showing any unusual changes that Han Yuan had gradually put it out of his mind.

He never expected that today, of all days, the box's owner would come calling.

After a moment's thought, Han Yuan decided to go meet Li Baozhou first.

With a single leap, he vanished from the high tower.

.....

Han Yuan headed toward the eastern side of Changming Province City.

The heat radiating from the Jade Pendant grew more intense the further he went in that direction.

Before long, he had left Changming Province City and arrived at a pavilion in the countryside.

Snowflakes danced in the air, blanketing the landscape in a vast expanse of white.

A figure was already waiting in the pavilion.

As Han Yuan approached, however, he saw that it was not Li Baozhou, but a tall woman wearing a black veil.

Despite the veil, the faint outline of her features was enough to tell him that she was undoubtedly a stunning beauty.

"Who are you?"

Han Yuan narrowed his eyes.

He hadn't expected someone other than Li Baozhou to be here to meet him.

"I am Yan Qingyu,"

the woman said, her voice pleasant to the ear.

"Yan Qingyu..."

Han Yuan sized her up and asked coolly, "Are you here for the box?"

"The box...?"

Yan Qingyu seemed taken aback for a moment, then shook her head. "No... I'm here to propose a partnership."

Hearing this, it was Han Yuan's turn to be stunned.

"Partner with me?"

Han Yuan asked in surprise.

"Yes. You should be well aware of your current predicament."

"Situ Hui means you harm, and I want to kill him."

"That's why I want to work with you,"

Yan Qingyu said calmly.

"Situ Hui is my master... Why would I kill him?"

Han Yuan narrowed his eyes.

"It's no use playing dumb with me."

"I can tell you this much: between you and Situ Hui, only one of you will survive,"

Yan Qingyu stated coolly.

"Then what's your grudge against Situ Hui?"

Han Yuan asked.

"I have no grudge against him," Yan Qingyu said, shaking her head.

"No grudge? Then why do you want to work with me to kill him?" Han Yuan asked, looking puzzled.

"It's simple. Our very identities put us at odds."

"According to our investigation, Situ Hui may very well be Gray Sheep, one of the Twelve High Priests of the Immortal Sect."

Yan Qingyu revealed a shocking piece of information.

"That old bastard Situ Hui is one of the Immortal Sect?"

"And what are the Twelve High Priests?"

Han Yuan couldn't help but ask.

"The Immortal Sect Organization was founded an extremely long time ago, likely during the Chaotic Ancient Era."

"Within this organization is a mysterious Sect Leader, though it's unknown whether this person actually exists."

"Beneath this mysterious Sect Leader are the Twelve High Priests."

"The Wooden Snake you've encountered before is also one of the Twelve High Priests,"

Yan Qingyu said gravely.

'Gray Sheep... Wooden Snake... Twelve High Priests... Could they be named after the twelve animals of the zodiac?'

A guess formed in Han Yuan's mind.

"You've guessed correctly," Yan Qingyu confirmed with a nod.

Now it was Han Yuan's turn to fall silent. The impact of Yan Qingyu's words was simply too great; he needed a moment to process everything and organize his thoughts.

'Immortal Sect... Situ Hui... Gray Sheep... Wooden Snake...'

After a long silence, Han Yuan asked softly, "Then why do you want to make a move against Situ Hui?"

Yan Qingyu answered directly, "It's simple... because we are from the Profound Celestial Alliance."

"Although the Profound Celestial Alliance ceased to exist long ago, its core legacy was in fact preserved and passed down through the ages."

"For years, we have been investigating Situ Hui, and we've finally found a solid lead."

Han Yuan wasn't particularly surprised by this answer.

After all, the Profound Celestial Alliance had once been vast. It was perfectly reasonable that some core lineages would have survived its eventual collapse.

"But there's something I still don't understand."

"Why not just have Elder Li make a move?"

"With his level of Cultivation, Situ Hui should be no match for him, right?"

Han Yuan asked quietly.

"Li Baozhou is currently entangled with Nether Dragon, the head of the Twelve High Priests, and cannot spare a Clone."

"That's why I had to be the one to come. You were chosen by Li Baozhou, and you also happen to be Situ Hui's disciple. Partnering with you is the best option."

Yan Qingyu laid out her reasoning.

But there was still one thing Han Yuan didn't understand. "Isn't the Immortal Sect a public enemy that everyone wants to see destroyed? Why not just leak this information?"

But Yan Qingyu simply shook her head. "It's useless. We don't have any proof right now, only suspicions."

"Besides, Situ Hui is the Palace Master of the Great Demon Palace. Without concrete evidence, it would be incredibly difficult to bring him down."

"It would only put him on his guard."

"That's why our only option is to join forces and assassinate Situ Hui ourselves."

Han Yuan considered this for a moment. "I need some time to think it over."

'Yan Qingyu had appeared too suddenly.'

'And the stakes were too high for Han Yuan to agree so readily.'

Yan Qingyu nodded. "When you've made up your mind, activate the broken Jade Pendant. It will be able to sense my location."

Han Yuan said, "Fine. I'll give you an answer then, one way or the other."

With that, their conversation ended, and they both departed from the pavilion.

...

After returning to his quarters in the Great Demon Palace's encampment, Han Yuan took out the wooden box and began to study it intently.

"Meow~ Why are you studying this busted old wooden box again?"

the Orange Cat asked curiously, licking its paws.

Three years had passed, and the little rascal was clearly a size fatter than before.

"Fat Thief, can you sense anything special about this wooden box?"

Han Yuan asked quietly.

'Although that rascal Fat Thief was a glutton, his perception of special items was usually quite keen.'

Hearing this, the Orange Cat leaped onto the table, circled the wooden box once, and finally shook its head. "Nope... Feels like just a regular wooden box to me."

Then, its eyes darted around, and it chuckled. "Hey, why don't we just open the box and see what's inside? Lord Meow is also super curious about what's in there."

Han Yuan retorted with a sneer, "If this box happens to contain a sealed piece of Source Seed Shredded Meat, we'll both be dead on the spot."

The Orange Cat said dismissively, "This little wooden box can seal away Source Seed Shredded Meat? I don't buy it."

Despite its words, however, it still immediately leaped away.

Han Yuan hid the box away again and began to process the information he'd gotten from Yan Qingyu.

'If Situ Hui really is Gray Sheep... what does that bastard want with me...'

Han Yuan's thoughts turned to the incident in Shunping County Town.

Wooden Snake had used all the people of Shunping County Town as fertilizer to cultivate that strange gray tree, which then gestated... something.

'Could it be that Situ Hui wants to use my vital energy and blood to incubate something as well?'

'Han Yuan thought it was a distinct possibility.'

Even if that wasn't his plan, Han Yuan knew Yan Qingyu had been right about one thing.

Between him and Situ Hui, only one could survive.

For that reason, he was already leaning toward cooperating with Yan Qingyu.

He had already been planning to deal with Situ Hui anyway, in order to obtain the subsequent levels of the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Skill from him.

'My Nine Mountains Heart Guarding Skill is now just one layer away from complete Perfection.'

'I'll first reach the Perfection stage, and then I'll go find Yan Qingyu.'

Han Yuan gradually firmed up his plan.