The Immortal Ascension

Chapter 76: Negotiations and Flames

After several rounds of negotiations between the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Wild Wolf Gang, a border area called "Falling Sand Slope" was mutually agreed upon as the venue for talks.

As for the participants, the Wild Wolf Gang firmly insisted that a leader from each side must attend to demonstrate sincerity; otherwise, the meeting would be pointless.

This condition didn’t cause any uproar within the Seven Mysteries Sect, as it was a standard diplomatic requirement.

Of course, the true top leader would never risk entering dangerous territory. The Seven Mysteries Sect would, at most, send a deputy sect leader, while the other side would also dispatch a deputy gang leader for appearances. Thus, this condition was acceptable.

Both sides then set a specific date for the negotiations, agreeing to send a contingent of over a hundred members each to the meeting.

Fearing potential ambushes during the talks, the Seven Mysteries Sect meticulously arranged both the negotiation team and backup forces.

The negotiation team was led by Deputy Sect Leader Wu, the sect’s second-strongest expert, and consisted of nearly a hundred elite members—mostly Protectors, Elders, and other core personnel, along with several high-ranking figures like Hall Masters to bolster their presence. It was an impressive lineup.

With so many experts gathered, even if the Wild Wolf Gang deployed all its elites, they likely wouldn’t be able to stop this force. The Seven Mysteries Sect was brimming with confidence.

In case of trouble, the negotiators could rely on their formidable martial skills to break through any encirclement and retreat to their territory, where several teams of elite Blood Blade Hall disciples stood ready to secure their escape.

Li Feiyu volunteered to join the team. For someone with little time left to live, the more dangerous the place, the more he longed to go.

Thus, this group—comprising nearly half of the Seven Mysteries Sect’s top experts—set out from the mountain as the negotiation date approached. The round trip would take at least half a month, making it a lengthy journey.

Han Li, however, paid little attention to the matter. Whether the talks succeeded or failed made no difference to him. He was about to leave this place and venture into the wider world—the rise and fall of the Seven Mysteries Sect held no great significance for him.

As long as it didn’t concern him personally, he couldn’t be bothered with such affairs.

So, in the days following the negotiation team’s departure, he calmly continued nurturing the medicinal herbs he needed and began collecting seeds of rare plants for future use.

Han Li had already decided: once the negotiation team returned, he would formally bid farewell to the sect leaders. If the higher-ups refused to let him go, he wouldn’t hesitate to reveal his true strength to make them abandon any thoughts of stopping him.

Slipping away unnoticed would have been the easiest option, but Han Li worried that the sect might trouble his family if they couldn’t find him. Thus, openly resigning and demonstrating his power to intimidate them was necessary.As for an excuse to leave, Han Li had already thought of one—he would say he missed Doctor Mo and wanted to seek out his master. Whether the others believed him or not, Han Li couldn’t care less. With absolute strength as his backing, why would he fear their suspicions?

Whenever Han Li thought of this, a faint sneer would tug at the corners of his lips. At this point, if he wanted to take the lives of the Sect Leaders, it would be as easy as turning his hand.

Of course, he only entertained the thought briefly and had no real intention of acting on it.

But what Han Li never expected was that on the fourth night after the negotiation team had departed, a disheveled, dust-covered, and wild-haired figure suddenly burst into his room. The man’s bloodshot eyes glared, his lips cracked and peeling, as he rasped out a single sentence:

"The negotiation team is finished. Sect Leader Wu is dead. The Protectors, the elders—almost all of them are dead."

Han Li was stunned by these words. Before he could even open his mouth to ask—

Whoo—

A sharp alarm whistle suddenly shrieked from somewhere on the mountain.

Thud… thud…

Then came the dull, rhythmic pounding of wooden clappers.

Clang! Clang!

Ding-ding…

Bang! Bang!

……

All kinds of warning signals erupted in unison, followed by the deafening roar of countless battle cries rising and falling across the mountain. The clashing of weapons could faintly be heard in the chaos, as if, in that single moment, the entire Rainbow Cloud Mountain had transformed into a massive battlefield of slaughter.

Han Li’s expression darkened. Without waiting to hear more from the man before him, his figure blurred as he darted outside. He scanned his surroundings, spotted the tallest building nearby, and with a light leap, landed on its roof to survey the valley beyond.

His face was grim. Not far in the distance, flames soared into the sky, shadows of people flickered in the chaos, and the glint of sabers and swords flashed incessantly. Everywhere, the sounds of battle, alarms, and furious shouts merged into a cacophony of panic.

Hearing the rustle of wind behind him, he asked without turning his head, "Li Feiyu, is it the Wild Wolf Gang?"

"Yes. I never expected them to plan so meticulously. Almost immediately after wiping out our negotiation team, they followed us survivors and stormed the mountain." The messenger was none other than Li Feiyu, who had left four days prior. His voice now brimmed with rage and resentment.

(End of Chapter)