Chapter 642: Refusal

Chapter 642: Refusal

Han Li was immediately able to identify the two as Shi Chuankong and Silver Fox of the Reincarnation Palace, but he didn't lower his guard in the slightest.

Instead of saying anything, he turned his gaze to Immortal Lord Hot Flame as he noticed that both Shi Chuankong and Silver Fox were also looking at him.

Immortal Lord Hot Flame swept his gaze over Silver Fox, then turned to Shi Chuankong as he asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Shi Chuankong. You probably haven't heard of me, but that's not an issue. All you need to know is our objective for coming here to see you," Shi Chuankong replied with a smile.

As he was speaking, he took a quick glance at Han Li, and a hint of befuddlement appeared deep within his eyes.

"You were at the Jade Kun Pagoda auction, right? Considering all the bidding wars we were involved in, you must be a very wealthy man," Silver Fox remarked as he turned to Han Li.

"Surely the vastly renowned Silver Fox hasn't come all the way here to seek retribution over such a trivial matter," Han Li said with a composed smile.

"Rest assured, I'm not that petty. We're here today for Fellow Daoist Host Flame," Silver Fox replied with a smile of his own.

"What do you want from me?" Immortal Lord Hot Flame asked with a wary look in his eyes as he unconsciously shuffled a little closer to Han Li.

"Let's not waste time here, Fellow Daoist Hot Flame. I'm sure you know why we've come here to see you," Shi Chuankong said.

Han Li turned to Immortal Lord Hot Flame with an inquisitive expression upon hearing this.

"I don't know what you're talking about. There's no vendetta between us, so let's all go our separate ways. Come one, Fellow Daoist Li, we're leaving," Immortal Lord Hot Flame said.

"Do you not want to go back to visit our sect?" Silver Fox suddenly asked as he raised his voice a little.

Immortal Lord Hot Flame was silent for a moment upon hearing this, then asked, "What's the point? It's nothing more than a set of ruins anyway. I don't understand why you can't just let the past go."

Han Li was rather perplexed by this conversation, but he could see that Silver Fox and Shi Chuankong didn't harbor any animosity, so he stowed his longsword away.

"It's not that we're unwilling to let go of the past, Fellow Daoist Huo, it's the Heavenly Court that refuses to let bygones be bygones. Why is the Fire Leaf Sect under the Immortal Palace's surveillance? And why is there so much unrest in the Floating Cloud Mountain Range? I'm sure you're fully aware of the underlying reasons," Silver Fox sighed.

Han Li's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this.

It was no wonder that Immortal Lord Hot Flame had warned him not to use his identity as an elder of the Fire Leaf Sect. It seemed that there were some mysterious circumstances involved.

Even though Han Li had already guessed that this was the case, it was all but confirmed now that Yu Ziqi had been attacked because of Immortal Lord Hot Flame.

"Fellow Daoist Shi is right. The Heavenly Court won't let you off the hook, and you may not be able to get away next time. Are you not interested in uncovering the mysteries behind the True Mantra Sect's demise? Working with us will be a win-win situation for everyone," Silver Fox chimed in.

Han Li watched in silence as the two took turns trying to convince Immortal Lord Hot Flame, and he didn't interject as this had nothing to do with him anyway.

"Besides, surely you don't want the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra left behind by Patriarch Miro to be taken by the Heavenly Court," Silver Fox, and Immortal Lord Hot Flame immediately shuddered slightly upon hearing this.

"There's no need to be so surprised, our Reincarnation Palace has some very good sources. One of the main reasons why the Heavenly Court has always wanted to enter the ruins of the True Mantra Sect is precisely for the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra," Shi Chuankong said with a smile.

"Does the same not apply to you?" Immortal Lord Hot Flame asked with a cold sneer.

"As opposed to saying that our objective is to obtain this cultivation art, it's better to say that we want to avoid having the cultivation art fall into the hands of the Heavenly Court. In that regard, we have a common objective," Silver Fox replied with a smile.

Immortal Lord Hot Flame was silent for a long time upon hearing this, following which he finally arrived at a decision.

"Alright, I agree to your proposal."

"You won't regret the decision, Fellow Daoist Huo! This is why I love working with smart people," Silver Fox said with a gleeful expression.

"Hold on a second! If you want me to join you, then you have to agree to a condition of mine," Immortal Lord Hot Flame suddenly said.

"Go ahead," Silver Fox prompted.

"In order to save me, Fellow Daoist Li has killed cultivators of the Immortal Palace, so he needs to go on the run as well. Hence, you have to bring him along as well," Immortal Lord Hot Flame said as he took a glance at Han Li.

A slightly hesitant look appeared on Silver Fox's face upon hearing this.

"I think that's fine. We've been observing Fellow Daoist Li for a few days now, and I can tell that he's not a member of the Heavenly Court, so why don't we have him come along?" Shi Chuankong said.

"In that case, I'll extend the invitation to Fellow Daoist Li as well," Silver Fox replied with a nod.

"I appreciate the kind offer, but I only saved Fellow Daoist Hot Flame as he's a friend of mine, and I wanted to repay some favors that he had done for me in the past. I don't have much interest in these True Mantra Sect ruins that you speak of, so I think we should go our separate ways," Han Li said.

Everyone was quite surprised to hear this.

"Fellow Daoist Li, perhaps you're unaware of just how powerful the Reincarnation Palace is. If you go with them, you'll be able to use their power and resources, and that'll save you a lot of trouble. Even if you don't want to go to the True Mantra Sect ruins, at least accompany us until we get to a safe place before going off on your own," Immortal Lord Hot Flame hurriedly said to Han Li through voice transmission.

"As you're aware, I'm currently dealing with my baleful decay, and that's already taking up all of my time and energy, so I really don't have the spare capacity to pursue anything else. No one from the Immortal Palace was there to bear witness to the part that I played in that battle, so as long as I proceed with caution, I should be alright," Han Li replied, doing so openly instead of through voice transmission.

He was well aware of just how powerful the Reincarnation Palace was, and he could tell that Immortal Lord Hot Flame was genuinely thinking for his benefit, but at the moment, his sole focus was to overcome his baleful decay, so he had no interest in exploring any ruins.