I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

Li Hanshan's heart sank.

He looked up at Wu Tianxiong and found the other man sneering at him, his eyes full of smugness, as if to say: Old man, this time you can't escape.

The guy's expression made Li Hanshan vaguely feel that Wu Tianxiong had probably done something to sabotage this mission.

Hua Nongying gripped her pipe tightly, her face ashen. Just as she was about to speak, Deacon Lu approached, looked at Li Hanshan, and said:

"Li Hanshan, you are the only inner disciple on this mission. You will lead the operation. If you can uncover any useful information, the sect will reward you handsomely."

With Li Hanshan as the leader?

Despite the implications, Li Hanshan sensed something was amiss. It turned out he was the only inner disciple on this mission; everyone else was an outer disciple. The Hehuan Sect must be incredibly focused on him, entrusting him with such an important task.

There's definitely something fishy going on here.

Hua Nongying couldn't sit still any longer. She stepped forward and said, "Senior Lu, the Yinming Sect has reappeared. Such a major event, shouldn't we send a Foundation Establishment cultivator to investigate?"

Deacon Lu said calmly, "This is a decision made above. If you are dissatisfied, you can go to the Elders' Hall to protest."

Hall of Elders!

How could Hua Nongying dare to go?

Before she could speak again, Li Hanshan interrupted, cupping his fists towards Deacon Lu and saying, "Thank you for your trust, Senior. This disciple will certainly not fail the sect's expectations!"

Deacon Lu looked at him and said, "You're not bad. You have a sense of responsibility. If you need anything, just tell me."

Li Hanshan didn't stand on ceremony: "Senior, could you give me some self-defense methods, such as talismans or magic weapons?"

Deacon Lu pondered for a moment and said, "I'll apply for it for you. You should also go back and prepare. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."

After saying that, he turned and walked back to the Foreign Affairs Hall, and the door slammed shut.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Only the disciples whose names were called gathered around.

Li Hanshan glanced at the group and saw that there were six people in total, including himself. The other five were all outer disciples, regardless of gender, and they were all older and not particularly good-looking.

"This mission is probably going to be a scout mission, we'll just have to go and be cannon fodder."

He suddenly realized something.

At this moment, Wu Tianxiong walked up to Li Hanshan and sneered, "Old man, you're dead this time."

Hua Nongying looked at him coldly: "Wu Tianxiong, wasn't this your doing?"

Wu Tianxiong laughed smugly and admitted, "That's right, it was me who did it. Aren't you angry?"

Li Hanshan's gaze turned cold.

It really was him.

Hua Nongying said coldly, "Wu Tianxiong, don't go too far. If anything happens to him, I'll be the first to not let you off the hook."

"You won't let me off the hook?"

Wu Tianxiong seemed to have heard a joke: "Hua Nongying, do you think I'm afraid of you? My father is now a Golden Core Elder, and you're just a core disciple who just broke through to Foundation Establishment. What makes you think you can't spare me?"

Hua Nongying snorted coldly.

Wu Tianxiong didn't turn to Li Hanshan: "Old man, enjoy tonight. Your good days are over starting tomorrow."

After saying that, he laughed and left.

The conversation between the three people startled the other five outer disciples.

This mission is definitely problematic.

Li Hanshan looked at them and said, "You may all disperse now. We'll meet here first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Senior Brother Li."

The five outer disciples left with trepidation.

Li Hanshan and Hua Nongying also summoned their flying swords and returned to their cave on the main peak.

Upon entering the cave, Hua Nongying immediately activated all the restrictions and said urgently, "Han Lang, we're in trouble this time. As far as I know, whenever remnants of the Yinming Sect appear in the past, the first batch of disciples who went to investigate almost never returned."

This was something Li Hanshan had anticipated.

If this were such a good task, how could it possibly be his turn?

Therefore, this can only be a cannon fodder mission.

However, in the past, the cannon fodder might only be outer disciples. This time, it was because he offended Wu Tianxiong, and this guy's father just happened to break through to the Golden Core stage.

Through this guy's machinations, Li Hanshan was successfully squeezed in.

Li Hanshan sat down beside the stone bed, calmly looking at Hua Nongying, and said, "If I die, you will be free. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Hua Nongying's body stiffened.

A moment later, she walked up to Li Hanshan, squatted down, and looked up at him. Her usually alluring and charming face now carried a rare seriousness.

"Does Hanlang want to hear the truth or a lie?"

Looking into her captivating eyes, Li Hanshan said, "The truth."

Hua Nongying took a deep breath and said, word by word, "Of course I want Han Lang to die. If Han Lang dies, I will be free. I will no longer be controlled by others, nor will I have to worry about Han Lang taking my life with a single thought."

She paused, then continued, "But Han Lang's martial arts are unparalleled, and I haven't obtained them yet. How could I bear to see Han Lang die?"

Li Hanshan's lips twitched.

Well, that's quite true.

Hua Nongying continued, "Besides, if Han Lang were to cut off my life before he dies, wouldn't I be buried with him? No matter how you look at it, this deal is not worth it."

Li Hanshan was silent for a moment: "No wonder people like to hear lies, because the truth really does hurt."

Hua Nongying chuckled, stood up, dribbled the ball, and bumped into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her voice was sweet and soft: "I just said that on purpose~ Han Lang is my beloved, how could I bear to see him die~"

Li Hanshan said with satisfaction: "Lies still sound better."

Hua Nongying asked, "Han Lang, do you have any plans?"

Li Hanshan said, "What plan? At worst, I just won't go to Heyang County, right?"

"Hanlang, no!"

Hua Nongying quickly said, "The sect will definitely issue magical artifacts for surveillance. If Han Lang doesn't go to Heyang County, he will be severely punished when he returns."

Her words made Li Hanshan's heart sink.

He originally intended not to go to Heyang County, but the higher-ups of the Hehuan Sect were not fools and naturally had ways to guard against it.

As for the possibility of escaping after leaving the Hehuan Sect, that possibility has long been ruled out.

According to Hua Nongying, they all had to take poison pills when they left the Hehuan Sect, and if they didn't return by the appointed time, they would die.

"Han Lang need not worry too much. The sect will definitely have a backup plan. If you see that things are not going well after you arrive in Heyang County, you can simply escape in time and you will be fine."

Seeing his gloomy expression, Hua Nongying comforted him.

Li Hanshan inquired in detail about the Yinming Sect.

This includes their past overall strength, the level they typically reached when the remnants reappeared, and their methods, etc.

After learning about these things, Li Hanshan felt that the situation was not optimistic, but he also felt a little relieved.

According to Hua Nongying's understanding, the most powerful technique of the Yinming Sect cultivators is the Myriad Soul Banner.

They use the Ten Thousand Soul Banner to cultivate Yin spirits, which then attack enemies. These Yin spirits are extremely difficult to deal with; attacks with flying swords do little damage, and only magic can be used, which consumes far more energy than flying swords.

If there are too many vengeful spirits, even if one's cultivation level is higher than the opponent's, one can easily be worn down to death.

However, these spirits happen to be afraid of attacks from the spirit realm, which is precisely Li Hanshan's strength.

In this way, Li Hanshan is equivalent to a Foundation Establishment cultivator in dealing with Yin spirits.

"My dear Han, while we still have one more night, let me help you break through to the tenth level of Qi Refining."

Hua Nongying's eyes were gentle, and her face was flushed with shyness.

Even though Li Hanshan had tasted this enchantress countless times, she still exuded a woman's shyness every time. Even though he knew she might be faking it, he still found it very enjoyable.

Li Han reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Hua Nongying let out a soft moan and leaned gently against his chest.

"My lord, show no mercy to me tonight." Her voice was soft, just like her body. "If you return safely after tomorrow, I will still be your little slave. If you do not return, I swear I will avenge you in the future!"

Li Hanshan didn't speak. He lowered his head and kissed her lips.

That night, neither of them held back.

They were intimate all night long.

At dawn.

"boom"

A powerful aura erupted from Li Hanshan's body, sweeping through the entire cave like a whirlwind.

Qi Refining Level 10!

He finally broke through!

The tenth level of Qi Refining is the final stage of the Qi Refining period; the next level is Foundation Establishment.

Although he only broke through one minor realm, his strength increased by at least 30%. Combined with the Flowing Light Sword Technique and the Divine Sense Attack Technique, he could put up a fight against someone in the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Hua Nongying leaned wearily against him. She had given so much that night and was utterly exhausted. But there was a smile in her eyes as she gently stroked his cheek: "Hanlang, you must come back alive."

Through the petals of the Yangwen flower, Li Hanshan realized that the demoness was sincere when she said those words.

He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.

"wait for me."