Han Clan Immortals: I have a hundredfold energy-gathering bottle

On the lake, both he and Han Jinwei displayed their mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation, and not many rogue cultivators dared to approach them.

Only one aura, also at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, came from the north on a gust of wind. Han Jieliu recognized the aura as belonging to the Zhou family.

"Fellow Daoists, I am Zhou Xinyao from the Zhou family of Yinlin. My family has been ordered by our sect to come to this lake to find a savior and drive away the bandit cultivators."

Zhou Xinyao flew closer and discerned that the two were at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

The qi they wielded and the true essence emanating from them were both very solid, indicating that they had not broken through by absorbing impure qi.

Moreover, the figure in blue robes wielding a sword possessed an aura that made him somewhat apprehensive, extremely sharp and menacing.

So he guessed that these two must be from some prominent family, and his tone became much more polite as he clasped his hands in greeting.

"What kind of family do you two belong to? Your identities are now unclear, and we fear you may be implicated. Please do not linger on the lake."

Zhou Xinyao······

Upon hearing this surname, Han Jie thought of his senior brother Zhou Xinquan, who was at the entrance of the sect.

Since their generation names were the same, they must also be from the Zhou family. They cupped their hands in greeting and smiled slightly.

"So it's fellow Daoists from the Zhou family. We are from a prominent family in Huannan. We were passing by the lake when we heard some commotion, so we came to investigate... Since it's an order from our sect, we won't disturb you any longer."

He gave Han Jinwei a look, and Han Jinwei understood immediately. The two then left.

"So we are both under the jurisdiction of the same superior sect. Farewell, fellow Daoist."

As Zhou Xinyao's voice faded into the distance behind him, Han Jinwei did not turn around, but nodded slightly while holding his sword.

"We still have to give face to the Zhou family. After all, these two families are the most powerful under the Shangzong. If something happens to the Hao family, I'm afraid the place where we pay tribute will most likely be moved to the north bank of Guanglu."

Han Jieliu unleashed the Sudden Cloud Water, which absorbs water vapor on the lake faster and consumes less magic power, and nodded in agreement.

"The Zhou family runs a business in Guanglu, and it's nearby. They must have had their own plans for this Foundation Establishment Cave. Now they probably know that this cave is a conspiracy, so they've come with a large force. They can only capture and kill some rogue cultivators so that they can gain something from this trip and not return empty-handed."

"It's just that their behavior is domineering, not allowing others to get involved, and the reasons they give are really far-fetched... I just saw the people from Dongquan Peak on the lake and they went to Xiaowei Mountain to ask for help. I'm afraid they haven't even received the communication talisman yet, so how can they give orders to come?"

"Given the sect's temperament, if the sect's patriarch were trapped in such a serious matter, he would probably be a Foundation Establishment cultivator arriving here in an instant. It's unlikely that his family would have to take action."

Han Jinwei looked at the sudden cloud water that Han Jieliu had used and noticed something, so he sighed in admiration.

"What a fine treasure! It's quite ingenious. Considering the spiritual resources in that storage bag, you've certainly made a fortune on this trip. You've gotten a new magic weapon, but what about the old one...?"

"Let's sell the old ones at Zhuolang Pavilion. Zhuolang Pavilion is a well-known brand in Linjiang County, so the transactions are guaranteed. I only sell magical artifacts from Zhuolang Pavilion..."

Han Jinwei and Han Jieliu chatted casually. The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, and they happened to talk about this matter.

Han Jieliu was somewhat puzzled by the marriage alliance between Dongyanggu and the Wang family, so he took the opportunity to ask a question.

Han Jinwei pondered the question before replying.

"I don't know the location of Dongyang Valley either. When Ancestor Gonghe entered, there were only a few people in my Han family, and we didn't have the habit of compiling a clan calendar."

"All we know is that the place is located at the intersection of several prefectures, coveted by all sides. It seems to be an extension of some ancient cultivation cave, called Dongyang Heaven. It opens once every few decades, and each time the leaves fall to the ground, it imbues that narrow valley with spirituality and gives rise to spiritual resources."

"There are certain conditions for entering Dongyang Heaven. It is not something that can be done by ordinary people. Only the direct descendants of major sects or Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan have the opportunity. Therefore, it is divided into two places."

"So the Foundation Establishment cultivators went to the grotto-heavens, and the Qi Refining cultivators went to Dongyang Valley, each seeking their own opportunities."

Han Jinwei paused.

"As for the Wang family matter, before I went into seclusion, I asked Jieyu about his marriage. It just so happened that the Wang family took the initiative to propose marriage. The two of them took a liking to each other and became Daoist partners, which was a good thing."

"After I came out of seclusion, I used my divine sense to investigate. The woman was delicate and had a good interest in poetry and literature. There was nothing wrong with her. In her replies to the Wang family relatives, she spoke in favor of my family."

"The Wang family married off a genius, so he's the one who's at a disadvantage. But since his family is close to the Yuan family, his sudden eagerness to get closer to our family is suspicious. If they didn't know in advance that I had broken through to the Sword Qi realm, or that you had broken through to the mid-stage... then they probably know something about the Yuan family's plans."

It's impossible to know in advance that one's breakthrough to the mid-stage cultivation level is impossible; even Foundation Establishment demonic beasts can't tell.

Even within his family, there was no certainty about Han Jinwei's ability to break through the sword qi barrier. Considering all this, the last possibility seems the most likely.

Combined with the Yuan family's recent behavior, Han Jieliu became even more convinced.

"However, the appearance of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator has exerted such immense pressure on the various families in Huannan, truly like a mountain..."

"But apart from my Han family's ancestor Gonghe, no one else in the Huannan region has ever produced a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. Although I have never seen a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator make a move, judging from the Xiaoweishan sect's system, a mid-stage cultivator is merely an inner disciple, while a late-stage cultivator can become a peak elder. The difference is probably even greater than that between the early and mid-stages."

"I wonder if the patriarch, now at the fifth level of Qi Refining and having comprehended sword energy, along with me wielding the Zhushui Hefu Banner, can put up a fight against him."

Han Jieliu looked up and saw a cloud of energy, emanating the aura of late-stage Qi Refining, floating and heading towards him. He was immediately startled.

"Aren't the lakes mostly populated by independent cultivators? Where did this late-stage cultivator come from? Why does everything I say come true..."

Han Jieliu and Han Jin moved aside to avoid the cloud, but they saw that the cloud was floating in the air.

Upon closer inspection, the cloud only possessed the aura and speed of the late-stage Qi Refining realm, lacking any real power. Within it, two figures stood vaguely, their faces obscured.

Amidst the clouds, Liu Chongqiao rode the wind, her hair fluttering in the lake breeze, highlighting her beautiful face.

But she showed no joy on her face; instead, she was unusually angry as she spoke to her younger brother beside her.

"A single [Wide Sleeve Cloud-Piercing Talisman] is worth over a hundred spirit stones and can only be used a few times. It will take Father nearly half a year to successfully draw one. It is the trump card he has left for your trip."

"I warned you a few days ago not to cross this lake, but you not only ignored me, but also spoke rudely and offended someone, wasting this talisman. After returning to the clan, I will definitely inform my father and have him tell you to stay at home..."

Liu Chongqi remained silent, accepting the reprimand in silence, knowing that he had been too arrogant and had truly wasted a good talisman.

But upon hearing Liu Chongqiao's last words, he couldn't help but plead.

"Good sister, I know I was wrong. Please don't tell Father..."

As this cloud passed by, Han Jieliu could not hear any movement above, but he felt a strange movement in the small black bottle in his bag. He probed it with his divine sense and gently activated it to see what was going on.

As soon as he made this move, the small black bottle flew out of the storage bag, trembled slightly, and actually took the initiative to absorb the cloud in the sky and fall into the bottle.

"What's going on?"

Han Jieliu was startled and quickly put away the small black bottle.

The Liu siblings were still arguing when they suddenly felt a void beneath them as the clouds dissipated and they abruptly fell to the ground.

Liu Chongqiao and Liu Chongqi were both at the Nascent Soul stage and could not ride the wind. It was only after Liu Chongqiao hurriedly cast another talisman from his storage bag that the two of them were able to stabilize themselves and look ahead.

The three of them, including Han Jieliu, who had just put away the small black bottle and was equally caught off guard by what had happened, looked at each other in bewilderment.