“Bastard, what the hell are you saying?!”

“You old piece of trash, I swear I’ll kill you!”

“…”

Upon hearing Han Lie’s words about the “tenderness” of their beloved junior sisters, the disciples of the Overlord Hall saw black. A towering rage, hot and suffocating, erupted from them like a volcano! Their faces twisted into masks of pure fury, teeth gritted so hard they threatened to crack. Their bodies trembled violently, consumed by the desire to tear him apart. If looks could kill, Han Lie would have been flayed a hundred times over.

“What are you doing? Calm down!”

Ye Lang roared, his voice infused with spiritual energy to temporarily suppress the chaos.

“This old trash is just trying to provoke you. If we start a fight here in the prison, being deported will be the least of our worries! Do you want to be executed by the Great Qin law enforcement?”

Even so, the disciples’ eyes remained bloodshot, glaring at Han Lie like rabid dogs straining against a leash.

Han Lie stood calmly on the other side of the bars, hands behind his back, smiling cheerfully.

“Provoke? This Senior is merely stating facts. Don’t you know that when the corpses of Fairies Cai Zhen and Yunxia were discovered, they were completely naked?”

He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

“Why is that? Is it so hard to guess? You can fool others, but don’t fool yourselves.”

“You son of a…!”

The disciples who had harbored secret admiration for Cai Zhen and Yunxia were nearly apoplectic. Their eyes bulged, veins throbbing on their foreheads. If not for Ye Lang physically holding them back, they would have charged the bars, heedless of the consequences. Even so, spiritual energy flared, and the air grew thick with the smell of ozone and killing intent.

“Oh ho ho,” Han Lie chuckled merrily, thoroughly enjoying the show. “Seeing you all in such a state of impotent rage, unable to do anything about me, truly lifts my spirits.”

“Old scoundrel, you just wait!” One disciple gasped, clutching his chest as he hyperventilated. “Strut around now all you want. Once we’re out of the Great Qin Dynasty, let’s see how much longer you can prance about!”

“If you don’t dare to act here, then stop chirping in This Senior’s ear like a fly.”

Han Lie dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Immediately after, he sat down cross-legged on his straw mat, closed his eyes, and began to meditate in peace.

No matter how much Ye Lang and the others raged and cursed impotently from the opposite cell, Han Lie paid them no more heed than buzzing insects.

…

Several days later.

The heavy iron doors of the prison groaned open. Han Lie and Ye Lang’s group were escorted out of the damp cells by a squad of grim-faced officers.

Outside the prison gates, the sun was blindingly bright.

Qin Lianyi was waiting.

“Daoist Han!” Seeing that Han Lie’s complexion was healthy and his spirit undimmed, Qin Lianyi finally let out a long sigh of relief.

“I’ve smoothed over the matter of the burglary charges for you. But deportation is still unavoidable.”

There was no helping it. According to the rigid laws of the Great Qin Dynasty, cultivators from known demonic sects were strictly forbidden from setting foot on Great Qin soil without explicit authorization. Even a princess could not overturn this fundamental rule.

“Thank you, Princess Lianyi. I’ve troubled you greatly.” Han Lie nodded slightly with a light, grateful smile. “Since the Great Qin Dynasty cannot tolerate me, I shall simply leave.”

Immediately after, Qin Lianyi glanced meaningfully at Ye Lang and his group, her eyes conveying a silent message.

Han Lie, understanding her intent, gave an imperceptible nod.

After a few exchanged glances, both Han Lie and Qin Lianyi understood the plan. No words were needed.

Subsequently, under the personal escort of the Commandant of Qin Yang City—a formidable Nascent Soul cultivator—Han Lie and Ye Lang’s group of five were marched toward the border.

“Gentlemen,” the Commandant said as they reached the boundary marker of the Great Qin Dynasty. His voice was like rolling thunder. “Considering this is your first offense in Great Qin, we are only deporting you this time.”

“If you rashly enter our territory again, it won’t be as simple as deportation. Understood?”

“Understood,” Han Lie and the others nodded in unison.

That was the official line. In reality, within Great Qin’s borders, there were certainly more than just these few demonic sect cultivators lurking in the shadows. It simply depended on whether someone reported them or targeted them specifically.

“Alright then, off you go. Don’t cause trouble near our Great Qin border!”

The Commandant waved his hand grandly. Only then did the officers untie the spirit-binding ropes from Han Lie and his companions.

The moment they were free, the atmosphere changed instantly.

Ye Lang and his group shot Han Lie looks filled with murderous intent, their lips curling into mocking, predatory smirks. The hunt was on.

Han Lie shrugged calmly, seemingly indifferent to their killing intent.

Whoosh!

Without a word, Han Lie’s figure blurred. He shot forward, channeling his spiritual energy to the max. In the blink of an eye, he had covered several miles, streaking away from the border.

“After him!”

Outside Great Qin’s jurisdiction, Ye Lang and his group finally had no reservations left.

Like starving tigers pouncing on prey, they exploded into motion, chasing after Han Lie.

Ye Lang was the fastest. His cultivation base was the highest, and his movement technique was superior.

When Han Lie had traveled several hundred miles beyond the Great Qin border into the desolate wilderness, Ye Lang caught up. He descended like a hawk, blocking Han Lie’s path.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The other four disciples followed closely behind, fanning out to form an encirclement around Han Lie. There was no escape.

“Old scoundrel,” one disciple sneered, panting slightly from the exertion. “Weren’t you so capable back in the prison cell a few days ago? Why run now? Cat got your tongue?”

“Run?”

Han Lie stopped mid-air, standing poised as if stepping on solid ground. He spoke unhurriedly, smoothing his robes.

“This Senior was specifically waiting for you here.”

He looked around the desolate landscape.

“Didn’t you hear what the Great Qin Commandant said? Don’t cause trouble at the Great Qin border. We needed some distance.”

“Perfect timing…”

Immediately after, Han Lie clenched his hand into a fist.

A blood-red light flashed into existence.

A five-foot-long blade appeared in his grip. The hilt was carved with screaming skulls, and the blade itself seemed to be forged from crystallized blood. It exuded an eerie, sinister aura that chilled the air instantly.

Crimson Oath.

“Since obtaining this magical treasure,” Han Lie said slowly, holding Crimson Oath tightly. The handle trembled slightly under his grip, vibrating with a thirst for blood. “I have yet to use it against an enemy. Today, I shall test its edge on all of you!”

“Heaven-rank magical treasure?!”

Ye Lang narrowed his eyes dangerously. The aura radiating from that blood-red greatsword made his skin crawl. It was an extremely dangerous feeling—the pressure of a weapon that touched upon the laws of the world.

Without a doubt—this was truly a Heaven-rank magical treasure!

“What?!”

Upon hearing this confirmation from their leader, the other four disciples’ faces changed instantly, greed warring with shock.

“Heaven-rank magical treasure?! How could this old servant afford such a thing?!”

Heaven-rank treasures were exorbitantly expensive. Forget early or mid-Golden Core cultivators; even someone like Ye Lang, at the peak of the Golden Core Stage, could not dream of affording one. It was a treasure fit for a Nascent Soul ancestor.

“Haha! Excellent!”

In the next breath, Ye Lang suddenly threw back his head, laughing heartily towards the sky.

“Never expected today would bring me such a grand gift!”

“A few days ago, I wondered where your courage came from, daring to challenge me. Turns out possessing a Heaven-rank treasure explains everything.”

Ye Lang’s eyes locked onto the sword, burning with avarice.

“Since you prepared such a grand gift for me, if I didn’t accept it, it would seem somewhat impolite!”

With the support of a Heaven-rank treasure, Han Lie’s combat power indeed couldn’t be judged by ordinary mid-Golden Core standards. But Ye Lang was confident; a weapon was only as good as its wielder. It could not bridge the vast gap between the mid-stage and the perfection of the Golden Core.

“Want This Senior’s Heaven-rank treasure? Then come take it yourself—if you can.”

A slight smile played upon the corner of Han Lie’s mouth. Spiritual energy surged within his body, climbing from his dantian, through his arm, and into the hilt. Crimson mist began to shimmer over the blood-red blade edge, hungry and alive.

Seeing the scene unfold before them, Ye Lang’s group all assumed fighting stances, their expressions serious. Facing a Heaven-ranked weapon, even with superior numbers, they dared not underestimate him in the slightest.

Next instant—

A flash of madness mixed with killing intent passed through Han Lie’s eyes.

Instead of facing Ye Lang, he suddenly spun around, slashing outwards towards the four disciples behind him!

Hummmm~!!

As sword intent hummed sharply through the air, a fierce, crescent-shaped blade of blood-light detached itself from the edge, screaming toward the disciples!