The man in the brocade robe hesitated for a moment, but soon followed Han Li.
Seeing that all seven of them obediently stepped into the magic formation, a faint smile appeared on the face of the cultivator with the surname Qian. He pinched a magic formula, and points of white light emerged on his fingers.
"We secretly allowed you to go to the Outer Star Sea. You won't go around spreading this, will you?" he suddenly asked indifferently, staring at the white light on his fingers.
"Of course not. We are grateful for your accommodation and would never do such a dishonorable thing. Besides, even if we did talk, what could we do to you?" the man in the brocade robe responded cleverly, looking as if he were swearing an oath.
"Good, it's good that you understand. Even if the higher-ups found out, the worst we'd get is a reprimand. However, if there are any rumors, we are not the kind to be lenient. I've also heard that you carried sensing beads to prevent us from turning against you. But that was unnecessary. We wouldn't tarnish our reputation for some spirit stones," he said coldly, sweeping his gaze over the others but strangely skipping over Han Li.
"You are indeed understanding, Senior. We judged you with a small mind," the man in the brocade robe forced a smile, feeling a cold sweat forming on his back.
"Hmph! Enough talk. Behave yourselves!" The cultivator with the surname Qian flicked his finger, sending the white magic formula into the teleportation array.
Suddenly, the spirit stones around the array glowed brightly, and the seven of them disappeared in a flash of light.
"What's going on? Weren't we supposed to give them fake teleportation talismans? Why did you use the real ones?" the bald elder asked, shocked as he saw Han Li and the others really teleport away.
"If I had handed out fake talismans, that man who gave us the treasures would have killed us in anger. He's an old monster at the Nascent Soul stage," Qian responded with a cold snort, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a silk handkerchief.
"Nascent Soul stage? Are you joking, Brother Qian? That man was clearly just at the late Foundation Establishment stage," the bald elder exclaimed, stunned.
The thin man who had stayed behind was equally puzzled.
"You know about my spirit beast 'Yan Nao,' don't you? It's particularly sensitive to others' spiritual senses," Qian explained, revealing a small cat-like spirit beast on his wrist.
The beast had long rabbit-like ears and bright green eyes, looking quite adorable.
"The man's aura and spiritual sense were initially well concealed. Even Yan Nao didn't detect anything unusual. But after I deactivated the teleportation array's restrictions, he secretly checked it with his spiritual sense, and Yan Nao sensed something. It can detect the spiritual sense of a mid-Core Formation stage cultivator and give a general response for late-stage ones. But this time, it trembled in my sleeve without any specific reaction, indicating the man's spiritual sense was unfathomable. I've only seen this when it met several elders," Qian said, gently stroking Yan Nao, looking a bit scared.
"So he really is a Nascent Soul stage cultivator," the bald elder started sweating.
"Even if not, he's at least in the late Core Formation stage. Killing us wouldn't be hard," Qian said confidently.
"Brother Qian, it's good you were smart! If we had given out fake talismans, we'd have been seeking our own deaths. No wonder he easily gave us treasures without any regret; he must be one of those old monsters. But won't sending him to the Outer Star Sea cause trouble?" the elder asked, worried.
"What trouble? He's likely a rogue Nascent Soul cultivator avoiding our war with the Anti-Star Alliance. Just don't let the higher-ups know we teleported a Nascent Soul stage cultivator. Otherwise, we'd be severely punished," Qian warned, his elegant face turning dark. He then looked menacingly at the thin man who had been listening, realizing what might happen next.
The thin man shivered under Qian's gaze and backed away, terrified. "I won't say a word, I swear..."
Before he could finish, a yellow light silently cut him into pieces.
"We can't let anyone else know about this. It's unfortunate for you!" the bald elder said coldly, summoning the yellow light back. A fireball soon incinerated the body, and Qian nodded in satisfaction.
On the other end of the teleportation, Han Li and the others appeared in a shabby stone house surrounded by white light.
In a corner, a thin Star Palace cultivator was speaking with a scar-faced man in a gray robe. Seeing Han Li and the others appear, the Star Palace cultivator glanced at them before resuming his conversation.
"I told you, the teleportation array is now one-way. My talismans were taken, and even I can't return," the Star Palace cultivator said impatiently.
"You're lying! Someone returned a few days ago. Why can't I now?" the scar-faced man retorted angrily.
"Hmph! Believe what you want. I have no obligation to explain further," the Star Palace cultivator said, sitting cross-legged and ignoring the man.
"You..." The gray-robed man turned red with anger but was helpless.
His eyes then fell on Han Li and the others, and he smiled, approaching the brocade-robed man.
"Have you just come from Star City?" he asked politely.
"Yes, we just arrived. What do you need?" the brocade-robed man responded, guessing the man's intent.
"I am Xu Yun. Is it true that the Anti-Star Alliance has formed, and war is imminent?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, the war is about to start. We came here to avoid it. You probably can't return for now," the brocade-robed man replied honestly.
"What! I just gathered materials to refine a pill for my son. Now it's all delayed!" the gray-robed man exclaimed, dejected.
Han Li and the others fell silent, seeing the man's frustration. While they had tried everything to come here, this man was desperate to go back.
"I am Yi Jing, and these are my friends. Could you tell us about Qiyuan Island? We'll compensate you," the brocade-robed man offered.
"No need for compensation. You answered my question, so I'll return the favor. Ask anything," Xu Yun said, forcing a smile.
Delighted, the group listened eagerly. Han Li stood at the back, arms crossed, also interested in hearing the details.
